Filed under: Shoes
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece on the rise, and perhaps fall, of limited edition sneakers. Even those of us who might not be fans of limited edition kicks have been aware of the frenzy (if only by watching Turtle's quest for rare sneakers on Entourage).
But the days of frenzy may be on the wane due to oversaturation of the market. Vans, for example, is releasing 70 kinds of limited-edition sneakers this spring and Nike seems to bring out a new edition every time a designer sneezes. The result of the flowering of the limited edition market means that the sneakers are bringing less money on the resale market. This is especially true with newer runs of "limited editions" where the limited amount can run into the thousands.
For hard core collectors this is changing the thrill of the hunt where rarity was part of the attraction. Some have switched to smaller companies and niche brands while some are just becoming less interested in obsessive collecting. It's a classic tale, find out what the customer wants and then give them far too much of it.
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