Fashion

Getting Your Sneaker Fix in London

London is right in step with the hip hop culture-driven craze that's turning athletic shoes into pricey collectibles

  evt207@nyu.edu

Sneakers. Tennis shoes. Kicks. Trainers. Regardless of the name, athletic rubber soles are a fast-growing addiction for fashionistas and sports fans.

And they're not just for your feet anymore. They've become collector's items, and can fetch as much as $500 a pair.

London is firmly in step, with more than 15 venues selling collectible "trainers," as sneakers are called here. Collectors can find rare models without experiencing the cutthroat atmosphere of New York or Los Angeles.

The trainer industry has slowly risen from the underground to the runways of Europe. With Hip hop culture and sports fashion on the rise, sneakers have become more than just running shoes. Hip hop beat master Missy Elliott and Beatles princess Stella McCartney have both designed trainer lines for Adidas.

For people new to collecting, Size? is a good store to browse. The British chain, with shops only in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Size? carries every popular sneaker brand, from Nike Air Maxes to the all-American Converse Chuck Taylors. Shops in the Notting Hill, Oxford Circus and Covent Gardens neighborhoods have large collections of New Balance, Van and Gola.

The 10-year-old company also has its own clothing line. Customers can pick up a Size? T-shirt or utility belt to wear with their new Nike 6.0 kicks. Size? shops get deliveries several times a week.

"One day, one new shoe," said a Size? assistant manager. "Other days, 20 new shoes."

Foot Patrol is a don't-miss. The store, located on the alley-like St. Anne's Court, pioneered trainer stores in London. It carries exclusive trainers -- like the Puma Pele Brasil LX, honoring the great soccer player. These cost $130.

Wesley Tryermun, Foot Patrol's store manager, said the store is known for its passion and knowledge of quality sneakers.

"I think it's probably our reputation with selling and knowing our product," said Tryermun, who owns more than 400 pairs of trainers. "And also our products are higher-end."

Tryermun boasts that the shop tries to make trainers affordable.

"I don't want to charge someone a price I wouldn't pay myself," he said.

For the collector who isn't afraid of price tags, there's A Bathing Ape: Busy Workshop, the only shop in Europe that sells kicks by Japanese designer Nigo (there's also a shop in New York City). Sneaker addicts can grab a pair of patent leather Chompers in a kaleidoscope of colors for $260.

The Nike or Adidas collector shouldn't miss Slammin Kicks. The shop, which peeks out of Beak Street, sells some of the rarest pairs, such as the De La Soul Nike High Dunk SB's, for $463.

"We're an independent store, said Magdi Fernandes, the owner, who also owns more than 1,300 pairs of trainers. "No brand controls us."

Slammin Kicks purchases a limited number of each new sneaker model. Because of the exclusivity, many styles, like Nike's Bar Code Air Force Ones, sell out within the day of release. Slammin Kicks specializes in the retro, collectable and dead stock sneakers. Dead stock refers to unworn pairs still in the box, complete with the original tags and tissue.

Fernandes explains that his customers "want to get something a little bit different."

He explains the rise of sneaker culture by referring to the old saying, "you can tell a man by the shoes he wears."

But what do trainers say about a man?

"Depends on what trainers he's got on," Fernandes said.

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