"Sneakers" and the Changing World

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Young people attend a shoe-painting workshop on Friday (8/11/2019) at the Urban Sneaker Society 2019 in Jakarta. The three-day event on 8-10 Nov. saw mostly teenaged visitors who braved long queues to buy the limited offer of sneakers on sale.

The 2019 Urban Sneaker Society event in District 8 SCBD, Jakarta on Sunday was not solely about popular lifestyle trends. However, through this event, we were also invited to witness the changing world.

At 6 p.m. on Sunday, hundreds of people waited on the main stage of Urban Sneaker Society (USS) 2019. They looked tense while holding lucky draw tickets given as part of a collaboration between USS and Kompas.

Breathing almost stopped when the drawing took place. Shortly after the chosen numbers were announced, Henry Setiawan, 39, went on stage. "It\'s like a dream," said Henry, an entrepreneur from Surabaya who got the Nike Air Jordan 1 "Fragment" shoes. The pair of shoes, which can be resold again for up to Rp 50 million (US$3,570) was bought only for Rp 2.8 million.

The drawing was held by Kompas in collaboration with Japanese musician and designer Hiroshi Fujiwara. Henry got the shoes after exchanging 50 copies of Kompas newspapers for 50 lottery tickets. He was lucky to win the highly sought after shoes.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Visitors crowd a long queue that winds around a fountain at the District 8 building in SCBD, South Jakarta, on Friday (8/11/2019), the first day of the Urban Sneaker Society 2019 exhibition. The visitors, mostly teenagers, had been queuing since the morning for a chance to buy the limited edition sneakers sold during the three-day event on 8-10 Nov.

More madness was seen when a pair of sneakers was sold for Rp 130 million. The shiny black shoes, with a 24-carat gold chain decoration, and the Nike logo inlaid with Swarovski crystals, captured the hearts of Ibrahim Kamil , 22, the new owner of the shoes. At the USS, he brought his off-white suitcase to the Nevertoolavish booth, "creator" sneakers.

It was not difficult to see the content of the transparent suitcase in the form of thousands of Rp50,000 bills, to pay cash for a shoe called Black Pearl. "Incidentally my card is again blocked," said the online game businessman who came on the first day of USS on Friday.

Ibrahim was willing to spend a lot for the sake of the pair of shoes that there is only one in Indonesia, maybe even in the world. "These shoes are unique and the only one. Custom items like this are only owned by one person," said Ibrahim.

The chief marketing officer of the USS Jeffry Jouw said that sneakers were once popular in Indonesia in 2004-2009 but its popularity faded after that. The sneakers become popular again in 2015/2016 until now. "This is the influence of social media. Now sneakers have become a lifestyle," said Jeffry.

KOMPAS/SEKAR GANDHAWANGI

Henry Setiawan (center), an entrepreneur from Surabaya, East Java, holds up an image of the "Fragment" Nike Air Jordan 1 sneaker printed in Kompas and the actual sneaker he won in a lucky draw on Sunday (10/11/2019) at the Urban Sneaker Society (USS) 2019 in Jakarta. The limited edition sneaker was a collaboration between Nike and Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara, and was offered as a prize in the lucky draw organized by the USS 2019 and Kompas.

Gadjah Mada University’ sociologist Derajad S. Widhyharto said the phenomenon of sneakers had to do with identity. "Some people think, \'I shop, therefore I exist\'. The current context of spending is self-actualization. So, buying goods is now the same as buying social status," said Derajad.

There is always someone who can afford it, no matter how expensive the sneakers are. The shoes, although limited in production, are still not the only ones. It provides room for the customization industry to grow. Rare items are made even scarcer by customization.

Generation Z and millennials love the weird ones. They like different content.

One of the lucky ones is Nevertoolavish, of course. At USS, several brands utilize Nevertoolavish services to customize sneakers, Susu Ultra, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Agung Sedayu Retail Indonesia. This is how they get into the wave of conversation and steal the show. This is also a way to bridge the gap between the older generation and young people.

"Generation Z and millennials love the weird ones. They like different content, "said the general manager of Nevertoolavish, M. Azka.