Why All The “Sold Out” Jordans Are Sitting On Shelves In China – @ShanghaiSole Interview - Sneaker History Podcast - Sneakers, Sneaker Culture and the Business of Footwear

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Why All The “Sold Out” Jordans Are Sitting On Shelves In China – @ShanghaiSole Interview

Episode 275 • 8th November 2021 • Sneaker History Podcast - Sneakers, Sneaker Culture and the Business of Footwear • Sneaker History - Retrospect Podcasts

engvall]: 00:00:02

What up? What up? Welcome to the sneaker History podcast. My name is

engvall]: 00:00:05

Nickinggll and I am Stok to talk to one of my friends in this whole sneaker

engvall]: 00:00:09

thing. Uh, you might know him as Shanghai Soul. ▁, Ja has been kind of keeping

engvall]: 00:00:15

the States in the loop in terms of the sneaker market in China, so just want

engvall]: 00:00:21

to catch up with him based on a few of our recent conversations and stuff that

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has been going on. I thought you know he was a great guest before. If you

engvall]: 00:00:27

haven't checked that episode out, I'll definitely link to it, but Jay, welcome

engvall]: 00:00:31

to the show How you doing? Man?

shuang]: 00:00:32

Hey, Nick, thanks for having me. It's good to be on. And and you are saying, I'm

shuang]: 00:00:37

keeping the state informed. I might be keeping the states angrycause. I'm I'm

shuang]: 00:00:43

getting a lot of messages lately blown up my des man as me asking me to be the

shuang]: 00:00:48

proxy, asking me to be the pluge. asking me what the heck is going on and

shuang]: 00:00:53

people are real upset. Uh, not at me per se, but yet about the whole sneaker

shuang]: 00:00:57

industry right now it is. kind of. It's a Wd time right now,

engvall]: 00:01:01

Yeah, it really is Man and it's uh,

engvall]: 00:01:05

you know we. We had a an interesting conversation a couple within the last

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couple of weeks on the podcast about Um,

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you know whether or not the brands are trying to

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sign athletes, celebrities, et cetera from different countries in order to

engvall]: 00:01:24

kind of just play the game and appeal to that market, and I think that that's

engvall]: 00:01:28

engvall]: 00:01:30

uh. A. Really.

engvall]: 00:01:33

It's probably very accurate, right like the brands. at this point, you know,

engvall]: 00:01:37

With covet laid on top of all the other struggles that are going on, you have

engvall]: 00:01:41

just a a massive amount of stress numbers not being hit supply chain issues.

engvall]: 00:01:47

There's so much layered ont to it that I, I can't blame someone who works at

engvall]: 00:01:51

one of these companies to say Well, let's just try this, you know, because I

engvall]: 00:01:54

think everybody's looking at the numbers going. Hey, we're not going to come

engvall]: 00:01:57

anywhere close to hitting what we told our investors and that, just

engvall]: 00:02:01

unfortunately, once you get into that mode as a business, it it never is good

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for the consumer right and I think that's

shuang]: 00:02:07

right,

engvall]: 00:02:08

where. Uh, you know.

engvall]: 00:02:12

I don't want to say. it's a good approach. I just think that I unders. I'm I

engvall]: 00:02:15

say that I understand how they could get to that point, but one of the things

engvall]: 00:02:19

that you know kind of threw towards you before we started recording. You know

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the idea that that a brand like a Nike or, or Jordan brand, or Adidas or any

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of the big major brands right, would still think that they could just sign an

engvall]: 00:02:33

athlete from China, Japan, the Philippines, like we've seen everybody trying

engvall]: 00:02:39

this, And it seems to me like that is like like, Haven't you already learned

engvall]: 00:02:44

and haven't we already passed this stage of this last stitch effort to capture

engvall]: 00:02:48

an audience or or really connect with the consumers in a different country or

engvall]: 00:02:51

a different location?

engvall]: 00:02:54

Do you think that that's that you know? Do you have any examples of that

engvall]: 00:02:58

actually working in your mind that you can think of, because I couldn't think

engvall]: 00:03:01

of any that like, weren't very like short hits, right, and we talked a lot

engvall]: 00:03:04

about Kobe the last time you were on

shuang]: 00:03:06

Mhm.

engvall]: 00:03:06

and Kobe's kind of the opposite of. That right like you're they're all in. You

engvall]: 00:03:10

know, like China gets

engvall]: 00:03:13

probably arguably better colorways. M, sometimes more silhouettes, even like

engvall]: 00:03:18

there's just so much more.

engvall]: 00:03:20

Uh, you know, massive, uh, marketing appeal or marketing approach to that, As

engvall]: 00:03:25

opposed to just like cool. We did this and we signed this player and I just

engvall]: 00:03:29

feel like we're just like. I feel like it's just a total miss. I don't know.

shuang]: 00:03:33

shuang]: 00:03:35

I guess we're going to speak to like um

shuang]: 00:03:40

supply issues later. So like there is something I want. I want to talk about

shuang]: 00:03:45

which which you brought up earlier, but I don't. I don't want to touch on that

shuang]: 00:03:48

right now, because I know we talk about it later. But in terms of

engvall]: 00:03:50

yeah,

shuang]: 00:03:50

like the Asian pes and stuff like that, it's it's a mixed bagcause.

shuang]: 00:03:57

I remember when Jordan Bran signed Go Eloin, who is China's first Jordan brand

shuang]: 00:04:03

athlete? It was a really big deal here.

shuang]: 00:04:06

Um,

engvall]: 00:04:07

hm,

shuang]: 00:04:08

like it was everywhere in the Nike stores. Like his photos everywhere. Um, So it

shuang]: 00:04:13

used to be It used to be y, e n N. Because he's

engvall]: 00:04:16

yep,

shuang]: 00:04:17

considered like Um, you know, like one of the best players and you know.

shuang]: 00:04:21

Unfortunately he didn't do well in the N B. A, but Um playing in China, He was.

shuang]: 00:04:26

He was a beast, Um, but he was never signed to Uh Jordan deal. he always had a

shuang]: 00:04:31

Nike deal. He had his own Nike deal, which was like,

engvall]: 00:04:33

Mhm,

shuang]: 00:04:34

Um, Y color ways, right, O. Obviously a lot of red and red and gold and red

shuang]: 00:04:39

yellow. Um. So he had these unique Nike P. Es. And and those always did you

shuang]: 00:04:44

know. Okay, Um, and his face was always plastered in the Nike stores. But now

shuang]: 00:04:48

it's gual 'cause of his Jordan Ba steal, But the thing is is that you,

shuang]: 00:04:56

no one

shuang]: 00:04:58

outside of China knows who he is. You know what I mean, like,

engvall]: 00:05:01

yeah,

shuang]: 00:05:01

like I remember when when my buddies' on the snake, this were like y, like

shuang]: 00:05:05

Jordan Branstein, their first um. Chinese athlete. That's pretty cool. They had

shuang]: 00:05:09

no idea who he was. They've never seen him Clt,

engvall]: 00:05:11

yep,

shuang]: 00:05:12

y, and no one from the States would have seen him play unless it's the Olympics

shuang]: 00:05:16

and he's their starting point yard. And even then China doesn't do very well, so

shuang]: 00:05:20

you don't get to see him like in the later rounds anyway. So

shuang]: 00:05:24

um,

shuang]: 00:05:26

it's It's like a. It's more of a national pride thing, but it doesn't move

shuang]: 00:05:30

product. you know, Um,

engvall]: 00:05:31

yeah,

shuang]: 00:05:32

the. the, the, Um. His color ways are fire, though, like if you' seen

engvall]: 00:05:36

yeah,

shuang]: 00:05:36

Gazs colorways for his Jordan, P. Es, they're like one of the best. Um, like

shuang]: 00:05:41

'cause

engvall]: 00:05:41

yp,

shuang]: 00:05:42

he always loves. he loves Um, incorporating that kind of like Tiffany blue, that

shuang]: 00:05:47

tiffany jade color.

engvall]: 00:05:48

yeah,

shuang]: 00:05:49

And so his, Yeah, his thirty, two, thirty three, thirty fours. like they all

shuang]: 00:05:53

look really unique. Um, he's never he. He probably won't get his own signature

shuang]: 00:05:58

shoe. Um, he'll only get these, you know, kind of cool. P. Es, Um,

shuang]: 00:06:03

it doesn't really. It doesn't really do anything, Um, it, people in China don't

shuang]: 00:06:09

even really like. Go out hard for it. It doesn't sell out like you can get those

shuang]: 00:06:14

p. es, pretty r readily any time you want like they're not in super high demand.

shuang]: 00:06:20

People will know that that's the gual p E. but it won't It won't sell out any

shuang]: 00:06:24

faster than like a Tatum T or or a ▁z on p.

shuang]: 00:06:29

Um. And then with Ruby, it's the same idea like I got. I have to say, like

shuang]: 00:06:34

Ruby's probably got one of the best P. Es from Jordan Bren in in the last couple

shuang]: 00:06:39

of years. Like

engvall]: 00:06:40

yeah, yeah, I agree,

shuang]: 00:06:42

his, His cherry blossoms like the cherry bossom, Like thirty fives. I think,

shuang]: 00:06:47

man, those things are sick like all, mint with the pink cherry blossoms on them

shuang]: 00:06:53

Like. And

engvall]: 00:06:53

yp,

shuang]: 00:06:53

then I'm sure you guys have talked about the the eights that are coming, Um,

engvall]: 00:06:58

yeah,

shuang]: 00:06:58

like great great looking shoe, But I mean, I don't even know if those are

shuang]: 00:07:04

hitting the masses Like those cherry blossom ones Never made. it never released.

shuang]: 00:07:08

Those are. I think strictly like friends and family and P. E. only. so, um, I

shuang]: 00:07:14

don't know if the if those as are going to be a g, r or not, but

shuang]: 00:07:19

it it's the same thing. like I, I would assume people in Japan will be like, Oh,

shuang]: 00:07:23

that's awesome. You know, like

shuang]: 00:07:26

national pride, but in terms of them shelling out crazy money for it, it's not

shuang]: 00:07:32

happening here. I don. I doubt it's happening in Japan either.

engvall]: 00:07:36

yeah. It seems like like with Bo, he

engvall]: 00:07:40

is well, obviously from the pictures you post on your Interram, there's no

engvall]: 00:07:45

trickle down of like, Oh, we gave him a P. So maybe people will buy retros

engvall]: 00:07:49

right like there'. No,

engvall]: 00:07:51

like if people aren't buying those you know, P. colorways and he had. I think

engvall]: 00:07:57

the thirty four that he had was probably one of my favorite colways of the

engvall]: 00:08:01

last few years, too. Like like that, you know, like the the jade color that

engvall]: 00:08:04

you talked about, but like to me if if I'm if I'm at Jordan Brand, and I'm

engvall]: 00:08:10

thinking

engvall]: 00:08:12

about making the Jordan Nate for Rue,

engvall]: 00:08:16

you know why doesn't I don't know You got rest. You got Russell Westbook in ▁l

engvall]: 00:08:20

A right now like you've got the Ma, the biggest market in in the states

engvall]: 00:08:24

outside of New York to to do that with, and you know who knows the timing

engvall]: 00:08:28

wise. I. I said this in a previous episode. I think that there's probably a

engvall]: 00:08:31

lot of timing issues going on with the the way these shoes are developed and

engvall]: 00:08:35

made and even shipped over, because that could have been something that was a

engvall]: 00:08:39

year ago or two years ago that it was supposed to be here, or it might have

engvall]: 00:08:43

filled in and been pushed up to replace a different thing because there's so

engvall]: 00:08:46

many other supply chain issues, but I,

engvall]: 00:08:50

I think it's interesting because you. I, you know, we talked about it on on in

engvall]: 00:08:53

our previous conversation about,

engvall]: 00:08:56

you know athletes that are signed to Chinese brands, actually having a huge

engvall]: 00:09:02

following there. and and S, their products actually selling well at a lot of

engvall]: 00:09:05

these places. H. How can

engvall]: 00:09:09

is it? Is it a matter of national pride? Do you think but between those

engvall]: 00:09:12

brands? or is it just that there's more too right, Because I feel like someone

engvall]: 00:09:17

like Clay Thompson, For instance, he's getting a lot more right. He's It's not

engvall]: 00:09:21

just cool. We made this retro producct, Or, or we made this P. E. There's a

engvall]: 00:09:27

lot more to it. He's you know, like and I don't know. Maybe maybe with these

engvall]: 00:09:30

other guys they're getting. Are they getting marketing dollars beyond? like

engvall]: 00:09:35

the the store walls and stuff? Are you seeing like actual events happening and

engvall]: 00:09:39

anything like that to get it going Or

shuang]: 00:09:42

I think you know. I think what you were saying was was really spot on. It is

shuang]: 00:09:46

kind of gimmicky. You know, like we got to hit the Japanese market. Let's give

shuang]: 00:09:50

the only Japanese player in the Abe.

shuang]: 00:09:54

You know, it's

engvall]: 00:09:55

yeah,

shuang]: 00:09:55

like we need. we need. we need a a Chinese face in Jordan Brand. Who' we going

shuang]: 00:10:02

to give it to? Uh? let's give it to. Let's give it to the starting point guard

shuang]: 00:10:06

on the Chinese on the Chinese national team. Um, and there's no.

shuang]: 00:10:11

Uh. I've seen some goal t shirts before, But like even with Clay, you were

shuang]: 00:10:16

talking about Clay and his ant deal like he gets. He gets a lot like he. they do

shuang]: 00:10:22

shirts, they do shorts, they do like. It's like the whole line right. It's like

shuang]: 00:10:26

it's what what we were talking about With weight. He has a whole line of way of

shuang]: 00:10:29

weight. The way of Wade has become the Uh subsidiary of Leaning. Now it's just

shuang]: 00:10:35

like how Jordan brand is under Nike. Um

shuang]: 00:10:40

It? you know that's That's what Wades deal looks like, because when you go to a

shuang]: 00:10:44

leaning store you'll see a section that's only weight stuff.

shuang]: 00:10:48

Um, I, I would assume Clay is kind of moving towards that, but like there's

shuang]: 00:10:52

nothing like that for really, like you go in there. it's just a stand alone, P.

shuang]: 00:10:56

E, which

engvall]: 00:10:57

yeah, yeah,

shuang]: 00:10:58

wish to be honest with you, I've never even seen on seening on shelf before.

shuang]: 00:11:03

Like any of those ones that we were talking about, those have never been

shuang]: 00:11:06

released. The glow ones are released. Those are public. Um, but he doesn't have

shuang]: 00:11:12

a a line or anything, and there's no like story. I. I think the f. his first

shuang]: 00:11:17

par. There was like some story behind it, but the ones afterwards are just like.

shuang]: 00:11:21

Oh, this is just the gual P. E. It's like. Oh, okay, so basically you're just

shuang]: 00:11:25

giving me a Nike. I. D. Then like, What's the difference? right? Like if I can

shuang]: 00:11:29

just design

engvall]: 00:11:29

yup,

shuang]: 00:11:30

this, then what's the difference? You're not telling me anything like No story.

shuang]: 00:11:34

No, no accessories. No,

shuang]: 00:11:37

Yeah, know anything. So it it's It's not enough to to drive consumers to be

shuang]: 00:11:43

like. I feel really connected. I, I really vivee with the story. I understand

shuang]: 00:11:47

the colors.

shuang]: 00:11:49

Yeah, it doesn't. it's. It's very disconnected,

engvall]: 00:11:53

yeah. Do you think

engvall]: 00:11:55

do you think there's any interest in my,

engvall]: 00:11:59

or any conversation? Let's say A for the guys that are that are you know,

engvall]: 00:12:04

actually playing a ball in in these shoes? Is there is he does? Is he

engvall]: 00:12:09

enough of a you know persona to to drive people to buy a shoe, or is there

engvall]: 00:12:14

enough belief in Jordan Brand in their technology be cause? you know here in

engvall]: 00:12:17

the States? Obviously, Jordan Bran is like, almost tries to elevate themselves

engvall]: 00:12:22

as the elite basketball shoe on the market? Is

shuang]: 00:12:24

right,

engvall]: 00:12:25

there enough of that for people to to you know, buy a shoe just to play in to

engvall]: 00:12:29

see if if if they like it the way, like you know? I know here now we have like

engvall]: 00:12:35

another level of that because we have so many people doing you know reviews on

engvall]: 00:12:38

Youtube and stuff, but it.

shuang]: 00:12:40

Mhm, Mhm,

engvall]: 00:12:40

Seems like it seems like like there's a Genu general curiosity about all new

engvall]: 00:12:47

Jordan models in the States, and My assumption outside of the States is that

engvall]: 00:12:53

that just doesn't exist anywhere. And maybe the thought is maybe this

engvall]: 00:12:58

partnership could lead to that. Do you think that's even a a feasible idea for

engvall]: 00:13:02

for somebody like that?

shuang]: 00:13:03

So does do people

shuang]: 00:13:07

will people buy like a gold? P. E. yes, because there is like that sense of

shuang]: 00:13:12

national pride. it's It's not about

shuang]: 00:13:15

what brand he's wearing. It's more about him like if he was

engvall]: 00:13:19

Gotcha Okay?

shuang]: 00:13:19

wearing. If you was wearing anti people would be would buy Enter. you know. Um,

shuang]: 00:13:24

so it's definitely not about Jordan Brent. It's more about school and in being

shuang]: 00:13:28

Chinese and you know, like people liing, the he plays basketball. Now, The

shuang]: 00:13:34

reason why

shuang]: 00:13:36

you don't see a lot of people in.

shuang]: 00:13:39

I would say you don't see that many people in like the newest jordans, like

shuang]: 00:13:43

thirty sixes, For example is because they're They're really expensive. Like

shuang]: 00:13:47

people. There's still a big outdoor basketball culture in China. Um, a lot of

shuang]: 00:13:53

people play outdoors like, and I know for myself I still play basketball now. I

shuang]: 00:13:57

wouldn't. I wouldn'. I would be really

shuang]: 00:14:01

hard press to spend two fifty

shuang]: 00:14:04

and wear it on a gravel cement

shuang]: 00:14:08

basketball court and just tear it to shrieds like I know they're meant to be

shuang]: 00:14:12

worn and I know Um, Nike um Asia. We get a lot of the ▁x d r outsles for like

shuang]: 00:14:18

better, Uh more, you know thicker rubber. I know Night Wing talks about that all

shuang]: 00:14:22

the time. He's like the different components in in the makeup for Um

engvall]: 00:14:26

Yep,

shuang]: 00:14:26

shoes in Asia. Uh, because there's a large outdoor hoop culture here, but a lot

shuang]: 00:14:32

of a kids. I mean, they're mostly kids like high school, or is college students

shuang]: 00:14:36

like? First of all, they don't have two, two, fifty, two sixty to just shell out

shuang]: 00:14:41

normally, And if they did, they're not wearing them to play basketball outside.

shuang]: 00:14:45

that's for damn sure. So, um,

shuang]: 00:14:50

I, does the tech matter? Yes, but to a high school kid, who who is

shuang]: 00:14:56

who doesn't even have like a hundred, fifty hundred, twenty bucks, hundred bucks

shuang]: 00:15:00

to to spend on basketball shoes. There's no way,

engvall]: 00:15:04

Yeah, and then like with with, you know, we brought up clay. I, I can't

engvall]: 00:15:08

remember what like the retail is on his Ses, but I'm it's got to be like the

engvall]: 00:15:12

One forty range or lower right for a lot of the other brands.

shuang]: 00:15:16

Um. I, well, so like he his shoes. He has. he has. He comes out with a shoe

shuang]: 00:15:21

every year, which is really crazy Like people don't even know that, and um,

engvall]: 00:15:24

Yeah,

shuang]: 00:15:26

I think he does also have like take down models of issues, which is kind of like

shuang]: 00:15:31

Lebron and his Soldier line right where it's like a take

engvall]: 00:15:33

Yep,

shuang]: 00:15:34

downn. Um.

shuang]: 00:15:37

I think his high end stuff is maybe like one. It might be.

shuang]: 00:15:43

Uh,

shuang]: 00:15:45

it might be like one fifty and up a little bitcause.

engvall]: 00:15:50

that makes sense. I mean it's it is interestingcause. like the The take down.

engvall]: 00:15:54

I mean, I just went to the outlets for the first time in probably

engvall]: 00:15:59

two years and walk through like normally I go to like a basically rebok New

engvall]: 00:16:05

Balance and and Nike and and the rest is like Ah, whatever. I don't really

engvall]: 00:16:09

need to walk through the rest. but I

shuang]: 00:16:10

Mhm,

engvall]: 00:16:10

basically went through all the all the stores at one of outlets near me. Um,

engvall]: 00:16:14

and when I walked into the under Armmor store, I didn't realize that like

engvall]: 00:16:19

Steph, Curry has a take down line. That's that's you know, four or five shoes

engvall]: 00:16:24

deep now and then I started looking at more stuff online just thinking like

engvall]: 00:16:29

how many other people have I missed That have these take down shoes? Because

engvall]: 00:16:33

the brands. Don't you know they're not trying to get it in front of the

engvall]: 00:16:36

sneaker heads? They're just trying to have it at the outlets or the Dick,

engvall]: 00:16:40

Sporting goods, or you know equivalent, right, Because it that that's

shuang]: 00:16:42

right, right,

engvall]: 00:16:43

where the kids that play ball are go to buy buy their

shuang]: 00:16:45

yup, yu.

engvall]: 00:16:45

shoes, and it's just crazy that that there's not you know more to that, right

engvall]: 00:16:50

because we just talked about it recently on A on an episode, you know, like

engvall]: 00:16:53

the

engvall]: 00:16:55

Lebron won his, arguably his most important title in The soldier you know,

engvall]: 00:16:59

shuang]: 00:17:00

Mhm, Mhm,

engvall]: 00:17:01

that's kind of a A. Crazy thing to think about in the big picture, but like

engvall]: 00:17:05

that also makes you pay attention to the secondary, or, or you know, whatever

engvall]: 00:17:10

line that that comes underneath the main. You know the the main focus Right

engvall]: 00:17:15

and I, I was thinking about our conversation about Wede, Like you brought up

engvall]: 00:17:20

in him having such a big kind of

engvall]: 00:17:23

presence There. Do you think that

engvall]: 00:17:27

you know? Like, Do you think that

engvall]: 00:17:30

that's kind of the next evolution for the Wade brand too is like. Wh, what

engvall]: 00:17:34

keeps

engvall]: 00:17:37

weighed? You know, under you know, obviously under the leaning banner, but

engvall]: 00:17:41

like what keeps way of weight from signing one of these athletes. you know. E,

engvall]: 00:17:46

especially like, like with G, right, like the Jordan brand. If if they're not

engvall]: 00:17:50

doing enough, he's not goingnna stick around right. Like Its. Just if the

engvall]: 00:17:53

partnership isn't beneficial for both sides, somebody ends up wanting out of

engvall]: 00:17:57

it and

shuang]: 00:17:57

right.

engvall]: 00:17:58

he moves on, But it's almost like that seems like an easy like wind situation.

engvall]: 00:18:04

Do you see that as something that happens in China, or is that something where

engvall]: 00:18:08

like Wade would sign somebody for the States, Because the way, the Way of Way

engvall]: 00:18:12

Brand has a little bit more presence here than leaning.

shuang]: 00:18:16

Uh, so I definitely don't see way of like

shuang]: 00:18:20

I, and well, I'm just speaking from a like. If I were like running way of

shuang]: 00:18:27

weages, Right if I were running way of we,

shuang]: 00:18:30

I don't think I would sign someone here because it's it's already big. it's

shuang]: 00:18:34

already big here. So like I would sign. I would try to find someone in the

shuang]: 00:18:38

States and get more exposure out in the states. Like if I could

engvall]: 00:18:41

Yeah. yeah.

shuang]: 00:18:42

sign. You know if I could sign. what? What? What team is he owning right now?

shuang]: 00:18:46

What team does he have? Uh steak in?

engvall]: 00:18:48

oh, the Utah Jazz, Yeah,

shuang]: 00:18:50

Yeah, like. And we talked about this last time right. Like Why not? like?

shuang]: 00:18:54

Why not have Uh leadaning jerseys right, like leaning, Uh,

engvall]: 00:18:58

yep.

shuang]: 00:18:59

Utah jerseys. like just sponsor. the whole team. Just hook up the entire. like

shuang]: 00:19:02

That is like a massive way to get it out there. You know. Um, So like that.

shuang]: 00:19:08

That's where I would. That's where I would take it for for that.

shuang]: 00:19:13

for way of we, um, and then, in terms of

shuang]: 00:19:18

uh, just like the take, the whole take down thing, it's like

shuang]: 00:19:23

I don't. I don't know if if we talked about this last time, but a lot of the

shuang]: 00:19:28

shoes out here like Um, Anta and

shuang]: 00:19:31

the Um

shuang]: 00:19:33

leaning like they're not the take down model, but more like their their version

shuang]: 00:19:39

of the hyper duunk right, which is like their flagship model. You know what I

shuang]: 00:19:43

mean. Um,

engvall]: 00:19:44

yeah.

shuang]: 00:19:45

like those shoes, Man, they do like they're really good basketball shoes. Like I

shuang]: 00:19:51

have a pair of the Um.

shuang]: 00:19:54

Anti Sonic nines and they are in heavy heavy rotation. Play basketball because

shuang]: 00:20:01

they throw all their stuff in Like That's the thing that I hate that. what Nike

shuang]: 00:20:05

does lately is that

shuang]: 00:20:08

you know they give. they give Yanis, whose new shoe I think looks really good.

shuang]: 00:20:12

But it wasn't until this model where they like added full leng ▁zoom. Like, for

shuang]: 00:20:17

the longest time, it was only like four foot, ▁zoom. or it was only heel peel,

shuang]: 00:20:21

▁zoom, And same with Caire. I mean, I know that they have a say in it because

shuang]: 00:20:24

maybe that's what they prefer because it is still their shoe. But how are you

shuang]: 00:20:28

not throwing your best stuff into these

shuang]: 00:20:32

into your signature athletes and then so,

engvall]: 00:20:34

yeah. yeah.

shuang]: 00:20:36

Yeah, and so, um, like with with the Sonic nines, it's like they put. It's like

shuang]: 00:20:42

they put all their top cushioning in it. They put all like all this, like really

shuang]: 00:20:46

good material in it. And so I don't feel as a consumer like I'm not getting my

shuang]: 00:20:50

money's worth. Like If you want me to spend, If you want me to spend uh, like

shuang]: 00:20:56

one, sixty one seventy on on a on a basketball shoe, I want to make sure that

shuang]: 00:21:01

it's got everything that you guys have in it. Like I don't want. just push lawn,

shuang]: 00:21:05

and then No, no full length ▁zoom. Like I know you have full legson. Why' you

shuang]: 00:21:10

just give me this small pot of ▁zoom. When you normally put like this stig of

shuang]: 00:21:13

one in Lebron shoe, like what's up with that? I got like I'm not trying to pay

shuang]: 00:21:17

for that

engvall]: 00:21:19

yup. Well, and that's you make a great point, too, Because

engvall]: 00:21:24

if if Ys, who just won his first title in, you know, n v, p, and like, look if

engvall]: 00:21:29

he's not worthy of having full lingk ▁zoom, or whatever your best technology

engvall]: 00:21:33

is.

engvall]: 00:21:35

Like what? How does this even make sense? right?

shuang]: 00:21:38

one hundred percent

engvall]: 00:21:40

Yeah, I, and, and you know, kind of on top of that, like the running stuff has

engvall]: 00:21:44

been progressing so far

engvall]: 00:21:47

ahead and and up in the price points that, I'm kind of concerned that when

engvall]: 00:21:53

they start pushing all that new technology over basketball, it's going to

engvall]: 00:21:56

raise basketball prices again. You know. they. kind of. They kind of have done

engvall]: 00:22:00

that in A in various little spots, but none of the shoes because the guys are

engvall]: 00:22:04

all playing in like Kobe Protros, or you know a lot of katies, a lot of caires

engvall]: 00:22:10

and those types. You don't see

engvall]: 00:22:12

the technology become a talking point for N B. A shoes other than like Lebron

engvall]: 00:22:18

or whatever the Jordan signature model is,

shuang]: 00:22:20

right, right

engvall]: 00:22:21

But like. So, what's retail on on the leaning Sonic Nine, Do you think about?

shuang]: 00:22:27

uh, they are on. Let me do a conversion real quick. They are

shuang]: 00:22:41

about like one, ten, one hundred to like one, ten,

engvall]: 00:22:45

Yeah, See, and that's that's what. That's so crazy. I feel like, Uh, just as a

engvall]: 00:22:51

consumer and who's somebody who's like been passionate about this and working

engvall]: 00:22:54

in this space for the past fifteen years. or so, I am like,

engvall]: 00:22:59

absolutely concerned for where basketball shoes go. If everyone thinks that

engvall]: 00:23:06

Jordan brand makes the best shoes or that Nike makes the best shoes.

shuang]: 00:23:09

right

engvall]: 00:23:10

yet there's all these other brands that are making incredible product. For you

engvall]: 00:23:14

know, two thirds of the price or half the price, because it's it's I guess to

engvall]: 00:23:18

get to like the conversation about the stuff that you see in store right,

engvall]: 00:23:22

That's what's going to happen eventually. If if there's not this like, almost

engvall]: 00:23:26

like resetting of the market. In my opinion,

shuang]: 00:23:29

y, I mean, like,

shuang]: 00:23:33

for example, like the new Lebrons, The nineteents they are after conversion.

shuang]: 00:23:39

They are too fifty here for us.

shuang]: 00:23:42

That's that's a lot

engvall]: 00:23:44

Yeah,

shuang]: 00:23:44

of money.

shuang]: 00:23:47

That's a lot. Um,

shuang]: 00:23:49

and if you, if you play ball seriously, I mean and you love lebn.

shuang]: 00:23:54

I, I can see it because that's what people are paying for shoes. Nowadays you

shuang]: 00:23:58

know it seems like dunks are even and buy dunks for under two fifty now, which

shuang]: 00:24:02

is crazy. Um, but yeah, it's like two hundred fifty bucks and I can go to a

shuang]: 00:24:07

reique, meananing, uh, store, and I can pick up a pair of these. You know of

shuang]: 00:24:12

their hyper duunks, For you know one ten. It's like it's It's a pretty no

shuang]: 00:24:17

brainer for me.

engvall]: 00:24:20

yeah,

engvall]: 00:24:22

I do you think that there's

engvall]: 00:24:26

Is there a connection at all between like performance basketball shoes and

engvall]: 00:24:30

retro product in the consumer's mind in China be cause. Obviously, that's

engvall]: 00:24:35

what's kind of told to us, And the marketing is is to say you know, inspired

engvall]: 00:24:40

by the greatest ever, and like you know, But then there's all the sneaker

engvall]: 00:24:43

culture below that. that's like. Yeah, this is just hype. and and these people

engvall]: 00:24:46

are going to be into it. Regardless you know. There's all sorts of ways you

engvall]: 00:24:49

can kind of slice that up, but it sounds like what you're saying is is there's

engvall]: 00:24:53

no real connection between like retro product on the wall, and like the energy

engvall]: 00:24:58

that goes into, like, or the, you know, the kids that are out there playing in

engvall]: 00:25:02

in Nikes or whatever, not necessarily going back and buying retrop product for

engvall]: 00:25:08

their kind of casual shoes.

shuang]: 00:25:10

Uh, I think people are still. I. I mean,

shuang]: 00:25:15

I mean Nike's marketing is, That's like the best in the world. You know, So

engvall]: 00:25:20

Yeah,

shuang]: 00:25:21

people will just people. just eat up the retros stuff they're like. Give me the

shuang]: 00:25:25

story.

shuang]: 00:25:26

Forget the pro. I forget. forget the quality you can let me play. Only play some

shuang]: 00:25:33

basketball in some, you know, in some, Jordan Tennns, and Jordan, Ts, and Jonal

shuang]: 00:25:38

once, like I, I, I want to, I' want to. I want to look cool when I do it. I

shuang]: 00:25:42

don't. I don't care if there're ▁zoom air. I don't care if it's just cardboard

shuang]: 00:25:45

inside.

engvall]: 00:25:46

yeah, yeah.

shuang]: 00:25:47

But yeah, so I think that that still trumps um, quality and performance.

engvall]: 00:25:54

so do you think

engvall]: 00:25:57

how do you think that you know?

engvall]: 00:26:01

I guess I should say, like what do you think changes would have to happen for

engvall]: 00:26:07

there to be?

engvall]: 00:26:09

I guess like the kind of energy around retro product that there is here in the

engvall]: 00:26:13

States Right like? Obviously, you know, the the platforms that resell stuff

engvall]: 00:26:18

can take up some of that demand. But like those exist basically everywhere

engvall]: 00:26:23

now, so you can. you can. You can buy and resell anywhere in the world if you

engvall]: 00:26:26

really wanted to, but

shuang]: 00:26:26

Mhm,

engvall]: 00:26:27

it also seems like you know from the pictures that you post, and like just

engvall]: 00:26:31

from my recent trips to to see what's on at the stores. It seems like a lot of

engvall]: 00:26:36

the stuff

engvall]: 00:26:38

is just kind of fading anyway, but it seems like there. It's already like

engvall]: 00:26:44

nobody cares about the retro product on most of that stuff. Is that the case?

shuang]: 00:26:47

Yeah, so like um,

shuang]: 00:26:50

I, I, I do think it is part of the case like I. I don't think people care like

shuang]: 00:26:55

people.

shuang]: 00:26:57

There's so many factors and it's so funny because I feel like this is a great

shuang]: 00:27:01

time for us to be talking about this again. Because when we talked about it the

shuang]: 00:27:04

first time it was very. I remember, you were very like, shocked by. like you

shuang]: 00:27:09

know the political aspect of it. You were like. Oh, I didn't know that that was

shuang]: 00:27:12

happening. I wonder like it was in the very early stages like that was probably

shuang]: 00:27:18

a week like it happened, like maybe one or two weeks afterwards and then we

shuang]: 00:27:22

talked and then this is now

engvall]: 00:27:23

yeah? yep,

shuang]: 00:27:23

the effects of it. like you know. However many months later it's very real. how

shuang]: 00:27:29

much the political aspect of it has affected. I't know. we'll talk about the n B

shuang]: 00:27:32

a portion of it later. Um. but

shuang]: 00:27:35

it's it's fatigue. People aren't buying Um shoes to resell like, like we said,

shuang]: 00:27:44

Uh, like I said before, It's like the the resellers here are are very different

shuang]: 00:27:48

from the resellers in the states. Um, these sellers in the states. Are you know

shuang]: 00:27:53

one one person? Like Let's let's just say you are youre a reseller. For example,

shuang]: 00:27:57

you, you buy three pairs and you try to make twenty thirty dollar profit and you

shuang]: 00:28:01

know you call it a day and you move ont to the next bair, Like resellers here.

shuang]: 00:28:05

Don't don't really operate like that like they. The resellers here are like

shuang]: 00:28:09

buying up a hundred pairs. They're buying up two hundred pairs. They're buying

shuang]: 00:28:12

up a thousand. Their. And there there isn't the The. The little reseller. There

shuang]: 00:28:17

isn't the Me and New reseller as much anymore. And so when when the big dogs

shuang]: 00:28:23

have moved on now you got all this product left, Like Because, because the

shuang]: 00:28:27

little guys weren't buying it anyway, They they didn't have the money to buy it

shuang]: 00:28:31

anyway, so they're like, Oh, okay, Well,

shuang]: 00:28:34

there isn't there. Isn't that demand of al? Let me buy up all these lightnings

shuang]: 00:28:39

real quick and see what I can do with it like they're afraid of it sitting

shuang]: 00:28:43

supplies. And this is going back to what you were saying earlier.

shuang]: 00:28:47

I. I. I, no doubt, I one hundred percent believe that because of coved and

shuang]: 00:28:52

shipping issues and and all stuff sitting in sitting in cargo ships, they're

shuang]: 00:28:56

just like. Let's just allocate shipment here like it's made here. Let's just

shuang]: 00:29:00

keep it here. Why? why are we sending all this stuff to be sitting in boats for

shuang]: 00:29:04

months at a time, and then pushing pushing release dates back by months and

shuang]: 00:29:10

weeks, and and all of those things like, Why don't we just sell it here? And

shuang]: 00:29:13

because of that there's a lot more quantity and I think it's like it's They've

shuang]: 00:29:18

kind of like

shuang]: 00:29:20

not on purpose, but they kind of like shot themselves in the foot a little bit.

shuang]: 00:29:24

You know what I mean, because they like flooded the market here. Um, and now the

shuang]: 00:29:30

resale game is really just moved on.

engvall]: 00:29:34

yeah, yeah, yeah. it. That's something that I hadn't really thought of or

engvall]: 00:29:37

hadn't really connected the dots on. I guess because I.

engvall]: 00:29:42

i. I guess like.

engvall]: 00:29:45

in my mind,

engvall]: 00:29:48

you know, I don't really think of like,

engvall]: 00:29:51

Because there are still so many shoes coming out. I don't really think about.

engvall]: 00:29:55

You know how many actually make it over what shipments you know.

engvall]: 00:29:59

Like all the things that could de lay or cause somebody to think. Hey, we

engvall]: 00:30:03

should just sell that in China, because it's already there and and or you

engvall]: 00:30:07

know, Like as you said before we started recording. It's been. things have

engvall]: 00:30:10

been opened there for you know a year plus. right so

shuang]: 00:30:14

Yeah, yeah, yep,

engvall]: 00:30:15

I, you know. like the Uh. That's another interesting thing about This is like

engvall]: 00:30:20

here in the States when I, when I walked into, you know, I walked into a mall

engvall]: 00:30:25

for the first time. Probably like three months ago. Actually, right after

engvall]: 00:30:28

right after we talked. Probably, um, so a little bit longer than that and I

engvall]: 00:30:32

just basically was, like, kind of just blown away, 'cause like there's a bunch

engvall]: 00:30:36

of stores that are completely gone and closelosd within the malls. You can

engvall]: 00:30:40

rent space for super cheap, and like big malls too. Right, Like we were down

engvall]: 00:30:44

in San Jose, and we did like a little sneaker history. Meet up. Um, and you

engvall]: 00:30:49

know there's just empty stores. You know, like there was a foot locker in a

engvall]: 00:30:52

house of hoops was there, but like, I think there's a shoe palace, but like

engvall]: 00:30:55

there was just a lot of stuff that just was not there. But seeing what was on

engvall]: 00:30:59

the shelves like there's retro product and and even like you know, performance

engvall]: 00:31:02

product that is sold out online. But it's sitting there in a store and here in

engvall]: 00:31:07

the states. That makes sense

engvall]: 00:31:10

because you still got to have that product in store for people that are G

engvall]: 00:31:13

getting back out there into their normal shopping routines and stuff. But

engvall]: 00:31:17

that's also like you know. The reason that I could see a lot of things sitting

engvall]: 00:31:21

is because people are just still not a hundred percent comfortable like we're

engvall]: 00:31:24

still. You know we are now, but like six months ago nine months ago like

engvall]: 00:31:28

you're just getting the first vaccine rolled out type stuff. So you're not

engvall]: 00:31:31

even. you know. a lot of people were still kind of playing it safe. But there

engvall]: 00:31:36

you've had like. Probably you know, I mean, I feel like it's It's almost like,

engvall]: 00:31:43

probably well before we first we last talked, but like heavily in the last you

engvall]: 00:31:48

know, six months product just sitting and like that's not a. That's not a.

engvall]: 00:31:55

It's definitely not like a a consumer fear driven thing like it could be. if

engvall]: 00:32:00

if covet ex isted. You know as you said like, it was a pretty heavy lock down

engvall]: 00:32:04

there to like keep it under control. That's a another interesting part that I

engvall]: 00:32:10

just think is like

engvall]: 00:32:12

I don't know. just fascinating and I wonder if like there's

engvall]: 00:32:15

any,

engvall]: 00:32:18

I wonder if any other places have similar. you know, the a similar situation

engvall]: 00:32:23

where you know things have been open longer than the States have. So you have

engvall]: 00:32:27

product that's just kind of there waiting for people to get to and people are

engvall]: 00:32:30

just passing on it the same way that you're seeing in China, Because

engvall]: 00:32:34

I mean it seems like it seems like every store you go into there's at least

engvall]: 00:32:38

retro products sitting like that that. If you look on on a website here like

engvall]: 00:32:43

stock, Ax or Goat or something ineri, it should be

shuang]: 00:32:44

right. yeah,

engvall]: 00:32:47

you know, sold out.

shuang]: 00:32:48

right. um, I think what you said was is like it's It's right on the head. I also

shuang]: 00:32:56

think that cause I, I do have friends that live in other parts of the of the

shuang]: 00:32:59

world. And and they don't see the stuff that that I see, And I think that has to

shuang]: 00:33:04

do with a lot of the stuff is still made here Right like we

engvall]: 00:33:07

yeah,

shuang]: 00:33:08

get. we get first crack at it. Um,

shuang]: 00:33:11

what? whether, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, and I definitely

shuang]: 00:33:15

think Kobage was like a hard reset for buyers out here like it just

shuang]: 00:33:21

slowed everything down. Resellers just like weren't

shuang]: 00:33:26

they? just didn't feel like flipping shoes. Was Was the was the move anymore?

shuang]: 00:33:31

Like they? I don't know what they're what they're buying up now, but it's

shuang]: 00:33:34

definitely not shoes. Um,

shuang]: 00:33:37

and in terms of like other countries that are open, just like us, like Taiwan,

shuang]: 00:33:42

for example, they, they've been open. You know the same amount of time as as

shuang]: 00:33:46

China, but they don't get the product. They don't see as much of the stuff as I

shuang]: 00:33:52

see. There's so some of it, but it's not as much because it's made here, so like

shuang]: 00:33:57

we have

engvall]: 00:33:58

yeah,

shuang]: 00:33:58

the most quantity of of of anywhere in Asia. Um. And and because China is such a

shuang]: 00:34:05

big like hub for for Nikeia or sneakers in general, Um, but yeah it's it's uh,

shuang]: 00:34:13

it's it's kind of nice like it's. It's slowed everything down. like resellers

shuang]: 00:34:18

aren't as crazy and my buying mentality isn't as like. Ah, let me just buy first

shuang]: 00:34:23

and think later. right like now I can.

shuang]: 00:34:26

I can walk into a store and think about. Hm. You know, Do I really need these

shuang]: 00:34:30

pollens? Do I really need these lightning fors, Do I really need these sea foam

shuang]: 00:34:34

greens. Like you know what they'll be here? They'll be here next week. Let me

shuang]: 00:34:38

think about it for a

engvall]: 00:34:39

yup,

shuang]: 00:34:39

little bit, and I mean, and I know you know this. and and you know where we're

shuang]: 00:34:45

at that age where it's like that's how it used to be right. And like that's

shuang]: 00:34:49

what.

engvall]: 00:34:49

yeah,

shuang]: 00:34:50

That's how. that's how buying sneakers used to be. That's how buying elevens

shuang]: 00:34:54

used to be right. You didn't have to like

shuang]: 00:34:58

line up in malls. I mean you could. I mean they the first day definitely, but

shuang]: 00:35:02

like two weeks later you could still think about it. And and it's uh,

engvall]: 00:35:06

yep.

shuang]: 00:35:07

I remember when it used to be like that and it's kind of nice that.

shuang]: 00:35:11

um,

shuang]: 00:35:13

I mean, it's not nice that the pandemic happens, but it's nice that. like uh, An

shuang]: 00:35:18

effect of that was that there was like a hard reset and people just kind of like

shuang]: 00:35:23

slow down and just started going back to normal again.

engvall]: 00:35:28

yeah, I hundred percent agree. I think that's uh, you know, and maybe that's

engvall]: 00:35:33

just me being nostalgic, but I also think that that's just a better experience

engvall]: 00:35:37

for a consumer. right's a? It's a. It's a terrible experience to go on the

engvall]: 00:35:42

sneaker's app. And you know it's like waking up and living in Las Vegas and

engvall]: 00:35:48

like having a slop machine outside your you know apartment and every morning

engvall]: 00:35:53

you pull the handle, hoping that you win and occasionally you get just enough

engvall]: 00:35:57

back to keep you coming back.

shuang]: 00:35:58

Yep,

engvall]: 00:35:59

And like that experiences, I understand why that happens and why they do that.

engvall]: 00:36:05

but it's absolutely terrible. like the long term effects of that I think are

engvall]: 00:36:09

absolutely terrible for both the footwear industry as a whole, and for Nike

engvall]: 00:36:14

consumers specifically. But because it's is, you know less about my nostalgia

engvall]: 00:36:21

for the good old days of walking into a store and finding you know True Blue

engvall]: 00:36:25

threes back in two thousand one, you know on sale for a hundred bucks you know

engvall]: 00:36:29

like, of course I want that. Like, ill always want that, but like, I really

engvall]: 00:36:34

think that Without the experiences that you're having there and seeing the

engvall]: 00:36:39

product and getting to feel it in hand,

engvall]: 00:36:41

you're not going to grow the audience. And

shuang]: 00:36:44

Mhm.

engvall]: 00:36:44

maybe right now you know there's just so much product there that you even the

engvall]: 00:36:49

even the diehards that have to have the lightning and have to have the

engvall]: 00:36:52

pollens. Maybe they're going to. They're going to pick up a pair. But like

engvall]: 00:36:57

you know, in general, like if people feel like they have to make a decision

engvall]: 00:37:00

right then and there,

shuang]: 00:37:02

Yeah,

engvall]: 00:37:04

eventually they move away from saying yes to that decision because they just

engvall]: 00:37:08

feel. Hey. I don't want to be a part of this, but I don't want to have to be

engvall]: 00:37:11

forced to make this decision every time I think about sneakers.

shuang]: 00:37:14

right. And and um, it's like when you get that early access for a pair that you

shuang]: 00:37:19

didn't even want. It's like I have to pie it like it was the last time I hit on

shuang]: 00:37:23

speaker that I had to get this right now And it's like what

engvall]: 00:37:26

Yeah. yep,

shuang]: 00:37:27

kind of mentality is that where? it's just like I have to do it because I'll

shuang]: 00:37:30

never get this chance again.

engvall]: 00:37:32

yeah, yeah,

shuang]: 00:37:33

And and then my, my, my buddy is over at the sneak, this, they they. They kind

shuang]: 00:37:37

of talked about this last week. actually, And and he was saying, how like, Yeah,

shuang]: 00:37:41

But you know you just love that feeling of like getting something that someone

shuang]: 00:37:46

else had that doesn't have, and we all like as as a person who loves sneakers.

shuang]: 00:37:51

You love it when someone like Oh, you got those. Oh man, I miss. I struck out on

shuang]: 00:37:56

those, but even if shoes are sitting,

shuang]: 00:38:00

you can still get that feeling like. like, T. The tras, the the Virgil toos,

shuang]: 00:38:05

like not everyone is getting those right. Like

engvall]: 00:38:07

yeah, yeah,

shuang]: 00:38:08

if if if you're wearing those and I see them, that's still going to be a limited

shuang]: 00:38:13

shoe That has nothing to do with that has nothing to do with you wearing

shuang]: 00:38:17

lightnings, and I have lightnings, And we go to the same show and we go to the

shuang]: 00:38:20

sneaker con and we're both wearing them like, But that's not that. That's not

shuang]: 00:38:25

the same thing, right Like if you werear If you wear off white twoths to to

shuang]: 00:38:28

sneak a co, people are going to be like Oh nicks. got the offway twos like you.

shuang]: 00:38:32

You can still bring out heat like E in in this day and age

engvall]: 00:38:36

yep.

shuang]: 00:38:36

of shoes. Sitting that. that's I don't think that that changes anything.

engvall]: 00:38:42

yeah, I agree, and I, I think that's an interesting kind of. you know, Pe.

engvall]: 00:38:45

People definitely

engvall]: 00:38:49

choose what they want to wear what they want to buy in different ways too,

engvall]: 00:38:52

right like we do. Uh, a format of the podcast. It's kind of like a sneaker

engvall]: 00:38:57

draft with the three or four of us and you know, like I, I'm not competitive.

shuang]: 00:38:58

I love it. By the way, I love it you. you need to have more Pe. You need to have

shuang]: 00:39:03

more people on because it goes like you. You come back too quickly. You got to

shuang]: 00:39:07

have like I the last episode. I was listening, you guys. Um, I think it was for

shuang]: 00:39:11

the W. Was it for the ones? but you, you guys are like. Oh, we need to have more

shuang]: 00:39:14

people on here to to like. Make it a little

engvall]: 00:39:16

Yeah,

shuang]: 00:39:16

harder.

engvall]: 00:39:17

yeah, yeah, we got to get you on one time for it. It's It's a blast because

shuang]: 00:39:19

One hundred. I'm in. I'm in a minute,

engvall]: 00:39:22

it. It makes me think differently because I, I forget so many of the colorways

engvall]: 00:39:26

and the stuff that's out there right like we all have our kind of narrow lanes

engvall]: 00:39:30

of what we like and what we go after. and then like you know, we're paying

engvall]: 00:39:34

attention to things, But like the more you take in to to your memory, the more

engvall]: 00:39:37

you're forgetting about something that happened ten years ago

shuang]: 00:39:40

right,

engvall]: 00:39:40

and so like that to me is always interesting because Robbie looks at it like

engvall]: 00:39:45

it's a competition. I don't look like I don't look at it that way and I

engvall]: 00:39:48

honestly wear. I mean, I of course love certain shoes like you know, shatter

engvall]: 00:39:53

backboards just because I'm a Giants fan and it's a

shuang]: 00:39:55

mhm, Mhm, Mhm,

engvall]: 00:39:55

Jordan one and it's like that's That's like a great shoe. Regardless of it, if

engvall]: 00:39:59

it's hyped or not, I would love to have that shoe And you know, but like we,

engvall]: 00:40:03

we really,

engvall]: 00:40:05

we really pick different stuff all the time that I think none of us. Would

engvall]: 00:40:11

you know occasionally you have shoes that are like this is the issue of of the

engvall]: 00:40:15

draft that you want to have, but most of the time I'm pretty happy with the

engvall]: 00:40:18

shoes that I get to pick even if they're not the the hyped up shoes. Because

engvall]: 00:40:23

it's just I, I don't know like that's what I like, and I think that's an

engvall]: 00:40:27

interesting piece. And and kind of like to your,

engvall]: 00:40:30

you know, to your uh,

engvall]: 00:40:33

your Shanghai sneakers group, right, like we, within the Speakker History

engvall]: 00:40:36

discord community, We basically you know, look out for each other right.

engvall]: 00:40:40

There's two hundred some people in there, and I would say you know it's It's

engvall]: 00:40:46

still a small percentage of people that hit on the sneakersa, Because that's

engvall]: 00:40:49

just how it is,

shuang]: 00:40:49

Mhm,

engvall]: 00:40:50

but generally speaking, almost every other day, or or maybe even every day. At

engvall]: 00:40:55

this point we're seeing people like Hit for somebody else that wanted their

engvall]: 00:40:59

entry, and then you get that back when you really want something, and I think

engvall]: 00:41:03

that T is also one of those nostalgic things that I I miss about going and

engvall]: 00:41:09

lining up P for a pair of shoes back in the day where you weren't competing

engvall]: 00:41:13

with online too, you just were going to line up with your buddies, and if you

engvall]: 00:41:16

know if you wanted me to get your size, and I was in the front of the line and

engvall]: 00:41:20

I thought like my. Size was going to be around. or or I wasn't interested. We

engvall]: 00:41:24

were still lining up with each other to try to help each other get a get a

engvall]: 00:41:27

shoe. and I think that's like, kind of hopefully where things are headed. You

engvall]: 00:41:31

know,

engvall]: 00:41:33

beyond like the experiences that you're saying you're having now, because

engvall]: 00:41:37

that's definitely another missing piece from what brings people into being a

engvall]: 00:41:40

fan of sneakers. In my opinion,

shuang]: 00:41:43

Yeah, it's you know. It's interesting because you know I've been on. I mean, I

shuang]: 00:41:47

haven't been on I gie for that long, but you know since like two thousand

shuang]: 00:41:51

fifteen, Sixteen was like my first post, and I would say most of my of my uh

shuang]: 00:41:57

followers on I g. I mean, I would say like ninety percent of it is is in the

shuang]: 00:42:01

states. Um, and

engvall]: 00:42:02

Sss.

shuang]: 00:42:04

my my buddy who owns um,

shuang]: 00:42:07

uh, this store called de, um. it's um. it's like a. It's a sneaker boutique.

shuang]: 00:42:14

it's I, I like to call it like the kith of china,

shuang]: 00:42:18

Um, like they have like a coffee shop. And and you know they do streetware

shuang]: 00:42:22

stuff, but it's their own brand. It's all in house stuff, you know, like it's

shuang]: 00:42:25

their own. It's their own brand. They, they, um,

shuang]: 00:42:29

they, they sell sneakers there they they sell. They do collapse with like pigns,

shuang]: 00:42:33

like Padda. They've done collapse with Um, like Nike and stuff before, So you

shuang]: 00:42:38

know it's It's a really cool store. It's a really awesome buy, and I've been

shuang]: 00:42:42

shopping there for a long time, and and the other day

shuang]: 00:42:45

he came to me, so the owner of the store came to me 'cause I, I've been friends

shuang]: 00:42:49

with him for a while. he said, Um, You know we're gonna get the the paddas.

shuang]: 00:42:53

We're gonna get the paddas. Um, and 'cause he's he's good friends with, you know

shuang]: 00:42:57

the the owners. he's like. We're gonna get a padass. You should bring you. You

shuang]: 00:43:02

should bring your sneaker group and you should come and hang out. and like you

shuang]: 00:43:07

know, you guys can can all get pairs and I was like my sneaker group. It's like

shuang]: 00:43:11

Shoot. I don't really have a sneaker group. Like heck, I was like my sneaker

shuang]: 00:43:15

group is like Iss. like all on Isgram like they're They're not coming. They're

shuang]: 00:43:19

not coming here to get shoes. And I thought about it and I was like, Why don't I

shuang]: 00:43:23

have a neer group like there should be a sneaker group? And then I just started

shuang]: 00:43:28

gathering people in my contact list that I've known that I knew were into

shuang]: 00:43:33

sneakers, but I, I've only just chatted with them individually over it, never in

shuang]: 00:43:37

a group setting, and over like two weeks, Uh, we got like a hundred people,

shuang]: 00:43:43

Um, and then the group is super chill and it's low key and it's not high

shuang]: 00:43:49

pressure and people aren't in there trying to sell anything. It's just you know

shuang]: 00:43:54

people are in there showing all sorts of like people were in there showing

shuang]: 00:43:56

clerks. People were in there showing Ada showing you know why three ▁ultra boos

shuang]: 00:44:02

like. It's just people just into what they like And then

shuang]: 00:44:06

um, I was like hey, uh, so go's gonna be doing. It's a first comfort. serve for

shuang]: 00:44:11

the the pad of the blue ones. Um,

shuang]: 00:44:16

there's a ▁q r code to sign up, and the owner was like, sent me the ▁q r code

shuang]: 00:44:21

first, so we could all sign up and we got like twenty some. We got like twenty,

shuang]: 00:44:25

five, twenty six people out there And then there's that photo I sent you and we

shuang]: 00:44:29

all got a pair. It wasn't that it wasn't back door or anything. It wasn't like

shuang]: 00:44:33

shady. it was, 'cause like they had, they had a lot of quantity in China.

shuang]: 00:44:36

Actually, like those, the orange joins are still sitting. so uh, like I don't

shuang]: 00:44:41

want people thinking like. Oh, you know, the store did some shady business and

shuang]: 00:44:45

was like back doinging pairs to you guys like we. we. We got. we got in. We went

shuang]: 00:44:49

there and lined up. we got a ticket. Um, it wasn't a raffle. It was just to get

shuang]: 00:44:53

a ticket to in order of buying, and we all went and we all got our pairs and

shuang]: 00:44:58

everyone was super happy and it was just like a little hangout like there's a

shuang]: 00:45:01

lot of people in that group I've never met before, but I've talked to

shuang]: 00:45:05

and it was a Yeah. It was a nice, like genuine moment, and in this day and age

engvall]: 00:45:07

yeah, wow,

shuang]: 00:45:11

like I mean, you understand, like just buying shoes for retail is a wind like

shuang]: 00:45:16

that's like hitting on on sneakers to me like that's like riing on the app for

shuang]: 00:45:20

me, right 'cause it's like I actually get a chance to buy what I want and not

shuang]: 00:45:24

have to go on stockck, ex, or pay or go on ebay, Like I can just get it for

shuang]: 00:45:30

retail like that's that's that's a wind,

engvall]: 00:45:35

yeah, yeah, definitely mean, and to be able to have the the community you know

engvall]: 00:45:38

like that's one of the things that for me like you know, even just

engvall]: 00:45:45

doing this podcast and having

engvall]: 00:45:47

the The The Discord group, Now that we have you know, that's just been like a

engvall]: 00:45:52

constant kind of

engvall]: 00:45:54

support group. For you know, just you know. it's it sounds bad, but it's like

engvall]: 00:45:59

it's not really that serious

engvall]: 00:46:01

shoes. And and this is the world that I choose to make my profession,

engvall]: 00:46:06

But it's not like that serious for me to buy shoes like I, I

shuang]: 00:46:09

right,

engvall]: 00:46:10

reallyre am like I rarely pay resell. I rarely feel like I have to have

engvall]: 00:46:16

something. It's more

engvall]: 00:46:18

just being around it and being a part of it. And you know I, I have enough

engvall]: 00:46:22

shoes to wear, And you know it's great to get stuff, and I love. I love the

engvall]: 00:46:26

feeling just like you're talking about, but also like having the group of

engvall]: 00:46:29

people that just you know appreciates each other and looks out for each other,

engvall]: 00:46:33

and you know, I think that's like a a missing component when you don't really

engvall]: 00:46:38

get that in terms of

engvall]: 00:46:40

the internet. You know it's It's tough. We're getting it now with like discord

engvall]: 00:46:44

communities, and and Ingram and Facebook groups, and all these different

engvall]: 00:46:48

places where we're kind of coming back to this community aspect. but that's

engvall]: 00:46:52

definitely been a missing piece for for so long for you know.

engvall]: 00:46:56

I mean, look, I was a A. A. you know, employee number nine at stock Exx, when

engvall]: 00:47:01

it started. I,

engvall]: 00:47:03

I definitely didn't think that it was going to become as crazy it as it has,

shuang]: 00:47:08

Mhm,

engvall]: 00:47:09

but it was. I also think that it was. It was going to happen regardless, right

engvall]: 00:47:14

'cause a lot of people are like. Do do you feel any regrets? Should you feel?

engvall]: 00:47:17

Do? do you feel bad that you made you know Resell such a big deal And it's

engvall]: 00:47:20

like Resell was already happening like the market existed. That's why the

engvall]: 00:47:23

company was built right. This isn't a new thing.

shuang]: 00:47:26

Yeah, it's not like. Yes,

engvall]: 00:47:26

This was just us making this new thing easier. So

shuang]: 00:47:29

it's not like Stockx created

engvall]: 00:47:31

yeah,

shuang]: 00:47:31

the resale market

engvall]: 00:47:33

y, yeah, and like, I mean, I think really Resell took like a. a. A. A leap in

engvall]: 00:47:39

like the two thousand twelve Jordan releases, right like any of those shoes

engvall]: 00:47:43

that that came out. You know the when the black and the the black cement,

engvall]: 00:47:48

whatever fours came out like people were buying. like I bought multiple pairs

engvall]: 00:47:52

'cause it was like Well, I'm never. uh, you know, I might never see this again

engvall]: 00:47:55

'cause at that time they weren't retroing everything right, So

shuang]: 00:47:57

right.

engvall]: 00:48:00

by nature's like, Okay, I bought four. I bought five pairs of that shoe

engvall]: 00:48:03

because it wass like this. This is it like I don't need anymore the rest of my

engvall]: 00:48:06

life and then of course you're like. Well, there's other stuff that's gonna

engvall]: 00:48:09

come out. I don't need to have five pairs of the same shoe. I kept a few of

engvall]: 00:48:13

'em. I traded one pair, sold a pair. and now next thing you know, it's like

engvall]: 00:48:18

all these other people are also doing the same thing.

shuang]: 00:48:20

right,

engvall]: 00:48:20

And now you have a A, A resale market That just doesn't have a a place to live

engvall]: 00:48:24

other than ebay and

shuang]: 00:48:26

right

engvall]: 00:48:26

Ebay Back then was still

engvall]: 00:48:29

questionable on a lot of the fakes and the counterfeit

shuang]: 00:48:31

man, yeah,

engvall]: 00:48:31

stuff and getting scammed and all that. So it's It's an interesting evolution.

shuang]: 00:48:34

I've got a few cardboard, cardboard filled, cardboard filled shoes before up

engvall]: 00:48:35

For sure.

shuang]: 00:48:39

Ebay.

engvall]: 00:48:42

Yeah, I mean it, I mean, I think they've You know, I think they've improved

engvall]: 00:48:46

upon it. I, I've really been lucky. Like the only time I got a fake pair of

engvall]: 00:48:51

shoes, I responded. This is probably ten years ago. Now I responded to the

engvall]: 00:48:58

person right away and was like the pair that you sent me is is fake like I,

engvall]: 00:49:02

you know, I'm goingnna send it back. I just want your money back. I don't wa

engvall]: 00:49:05

to report this or anything. I, just

shuang]: 00:49:06

Yeah.

engvall]: 00:49:06

this is a counterfeit shoe and I don't want it 'cause it was. It was really

engvall]: 00:49:09

obvious to me

engvall]: 00:49:11

and she messaged back and it was like Oh, I was selling them for my son. You

engvall]: 00:49:15

know, just send 'em back. I'll refund your money. Now I didn't realize that

engvall]: 00:49:18

he, just he left him here and he went away to college and I just sold them and

engvall]: 00:49:21

I was like cool. No big deal. As soon as I got the money back, I sent the

engvall]: 00:49:24

shoes back. It was like that was my experience with with fakes, and I haven't

engvall]: 00:49:28

had any. you know. Obviously, when I worked at stock exxs, we people try to

engvall]: 00:49:31

pass all sorts of weird

shuang]: 00:49:33

oh, I'm sure. yeah. yeah.

engvall]: 00:49:33

stuff And you know we had we people saying like, Oh, we sent them. You know

engvall]: 00:49:37

some random thing that's like No, That's not how it works. You know like maybe

engvall]: 00:49:41

somebody's taking it off to U, P. S or Beede Truruck or something, but highly

engvall]: 00:49:45

unlikely there, too. So Um, the scammers are always goingnna be there, but I

engvall]: 00:49:50

guess like the last thing that I did want to touch on because we talked about

engvall]: 00:49:53

the situation with the Uh, was a Dl. moy with the rockets and speaking about

engvall]: 00:49:57

China

engvall]: 00:49:59

whenever that was eight months ago, six months ago even longer. I guess um,

shuang]: 00:50:02

yeah, it was. It was the beginning. It was almost a year ago. It was the

shuang]: 00:50:06

beginning of the M Ba season last year.

engvall]: 00:50:09

yeah, So now we're kind of in that same position again now with and as canter,

engvall]: 00:50:15

speaking up, and

engvall]: 00:50:19

I just uh, you know, like how much more of this can go on and the n B A still

engvall]: 00:50:26

be. You know

engvall]: 00:50:28

a thing in China, right, like, especially as we're talking about. like the,

engvall]: 00:50:32

you know, the the pride behind the the athletes and and buying the product

engvall]: 00:50:37

Because, because of the athletes and the you know I, I'm just like. All right.

engvall]: 00:50:43

What's going to happen from this because I feel like there's got to be.

engvall]: 00:50:46

There's got to be ramifications of this stuff

engvall]: 00:50:49

and I know that it's it's something that like you can't get the two sides to

engvall]: 00:50:53

talk about this on equal ground because people have fundamentally different

engvall]: 00:50:58

views on what's going on. and and I honestly, you know like I'm just somebody

engvall]: 00:51:02

that's you know, seeing a little bit here and there and it's even hard to

engvall]: 00:51:05

process everything that goes on anyway. But the one other thing, other than

engvall]: 00:51:09

than as canter stuff, I forget his name now. but the Adidas's athlete that

engvall]: 00:51:14

they signed one of the

engvall]: 00:51:16

I think one of the Olympic players, and there was some sort of pushback on his

engvall]: 00:51:22

salary or his bonus or something. I don't know. if you remember that was

shuang]: 00:51:25

Oh, I don't

engvall]: 00:51:25

within the last month or two.

shuang]: 00:51:27

don't. I don't recall that story.

engvall]: 00:51:31

Okay, Maybe I'll see if I can find it real quick while we, while I have you,

engvall]: 00:51:34

Um,

shuang]: 00:51:35

Yeah,

engvall]: 00:51:35

discussed the in that cancer thing and let me know what you think.

shuang]: 00:51:37

oh, man, so like it. So it's

shuang]: 00:51:41

it's really crazy because

shuang]: 00:51:45

and I and I posted about this

shuang]: 00:51:49

before where it' just like China's culture is really strong.

shuang]: 00:51:54

I mean when we were talking about the political stuff with Nike coming out their

shuang]: 00:51:59

statements about the cotton issue like

shuang]: 00:52:03

their influence is left. like I remember telling you, like fifty in. like their

shuang]: 00:52:06

biggest

engvall]: 00:52:07

Yeah,

shuang]: 00:52:07

guys all left, and so like it's not. It's not like. Oh, let's just you know,

shuang]: 00:52:12

brush it under the rug and and hope it goes away. I mean it happened with that

shuang]: 00:52:16

sort of with. like the the the moy situation, You know, the sixers, You still

shuang]: 00:52:20

can't watch them on T. V. Here you can get. you can

shuang]: 00:52:23

get all the other teams, but no, they. they, so like it used to be with the

engvall]: 00:52:23

oh, wow, I didn't know that.

shuang]: 00:52:27

Rockets at that time and so the

engvall]: 00:52:28

Yup.

shuang]: 00:52:28

Rockets were canceleded. like all their sponsorships gone. You wouldn't see any

shuang]: 00:52:33

of their logos Um anywhere. Um. But after he went to Philly, if that's what

shuang]: 00:52:39

happened to Philly, So the Rockets are back, Uh, and Philly is cancelled here,

shuang]: 00:52:43

so you can't get any Philadelphia stuff. Um,

shuang]: 00:52:48

you can't watch their games. You can't watch their games and I play fantasy

shuang]: 00:52:51

basketball and I'm like I got tiy s Maxi on my team. I wa to watch 'em play.

shuang]: 00:52:55

Nope, can't can't gett,

shuang]: 00:52:58

can't get Philly games

engvall]: 00:53:00

wow. wow.

shuang]: 00:53:00

on T. v. Um, And it's the same with uh canter. Like after what he said, Um, all

shuang]: 00:53:06

Boston games are are gone. They're wiped wiped from. It's like they don't even

shuang]: 00:53:11

exist here. And so

shuang]: 00:53:14

Um, China, cancel culture is is real. It's it's legit 'cause it's not just

shuang]: 00:53:19

social media cancelling you. It's like the government canceling you, and so you

shuang]: 00:53:24

can't get. You can't get any of that stuff. Um,

shuang]: 00:53:28

it's it becomes really tricky when Canter calls out Nike and Lebron, because

shuang]: 00:53:36

I almost feel like it's like a no win situation 'cause if they don't respond to

shuang]: 00:53:42

canter. If they don't respond to Canter, then they're acknowledging it. But if

shuang]: 00:53:47

they respond to

engvall]: 00:53:47

yeah, yeah,

shuang]: 00:53:48

canter, then they're toast,

shuang]: 00:53:51

so in my opinion, I doubt they say anything because

shuang]: 00:53:57

they didn't say anything the first time right when Moury said all that

engvall]: 00:53:59

shuang]: 00:54:00

the first time no one came to his defense And I know it sounds messed up and I

shuang]: 00:54:05

know it sounds kind of crazy. It's like Oh, how can the n b a stand up for this?

shuang]: 00:54:09

How can? how can Adam Silver like Ti, toe the line. Um, and you know when they

shuang]: 00:54:14

asked steep kurr, I think Steve Kurr's like press conference was like one of the

shuang]: 00:54:18

biggest ones be cause. he was so

shuang]: 00:54:20

like careful with his words, right. it was. He was so calculated with what he

shuang]: 00:54:26

was saying that people could easily tell that you know he didn't. He didn't want

shuang]: 00:54:31

anything to happen to him or or the teen. And then

shuang]: 00:54:35

it. Yeah, I mean, Canter Legit called them out personally, Like name by name. It

shuang]: 00:54:41

wasn't

engvall]: 00:54:41

yeah. yeah.

shuang]: 00:54:41

just like this is happening. he was like Hey at Bron, hey at Nike. Hey at, Um,

shuang]: 00:54:47

you know C e os of Nike.

shuang]: 00:54:51

Like, what are you going to do about it? And there hasn't been anything said And

shuang]: 00:54:54

I think that that you know, as ironic as it is, speaks pretty loud has pretty

shuang]: 00:55:00

loud actions. because by them, not saying anything means that they're not going

shuang]: 00:55:04

to acknowledge it because they know it's going to affect them.

engvall]: 00:55:11

it's It's crazy because

engvall]: 00:55:13

I, I feel like

engvall]: 00:55:16

I feel like

engvall]: 00:55:18

Nike

engvall]: 00:55:23

is so

engvall]: 00:55:29

obviously I love Nike. and you know it's there'. so much nostalg there as you

engvall]: 00:55:34

said, like they are the best marketing company on the planet right

shuang]: 00:55:38

Mhm.

engvall]: 00:55:38

like they are just incredible at what they do,

engvall]: 00:55:43

But it's really interesting because they're they're so

engvall]: 00:55:51

they're so selective about who they back and when they back people right. it's

engvall]: 00:55:56

engvall]: 00:55:59

I don't know. I don't know how to feel about, because there are times when

engvall]: 00:56:05

you know when the Colin Kapernick thing is happening right like I'm you know,

engvall]: 00:56:09

being a forty niner fan, I'm a huge Colin Capapning fan

shuang]: 00:56:11

Mhm,

engvall]: 00:56:12

Before all of what happened I haven't really watched other than like you know,

engvall]: 00:56:17

Probably like half of a super boowl with some some family like. I haven't

engvall]: 00:56:22

watched any football like. I just don't pay attention to American football any

engvall]: 00:56:25

morere,

shuang]: 00:56:26

Is it? Because of that,

engvall]: 00:56:26

and part of that is because, yeah, because, like you know, I just think that

engvall]: 00:56:32

it was that it was obvious that the league was black ballling, callliing,

engvall]: 00:56:36

kanck. Right. And

shuang]: 00:56:37

I can't believe he hasn't had a try out or anything in all of these years. How

shuang]: 00:56:42

is that possible?

engvall]: 00:56:43

yeah,

shuang]: 00:56:44

Like they just like

engvall]: 00:56:45

I mean, 'cause he's

shuang]: 00:56:45

behind closed doors, just all decide where not go'. not even going to attempt to

shuang]: 00:56:51

bring this guy back

engvall]: 00:56:54

I. I. I mean, they have to. even if they, they don't even have to talk about

engvall]: 00:56:57

it. You know like there's there's such a, you know, it's kinda like this, and

engvall]: 00:57:02

as canter thing, right, like there's such a political.

engvall]: 00:57:07

You know there's so much politics that go on behind the scenes. And you gotta,

engvall]: 00:57:12

I think tie in that you know America's going through like Trump as President,

engvall]: 00:57:17

all these things, and kind of you know with that, so like once

engvall]: 00:57:22

once it becomes like Hey, you're either against the President of the United

engvall]: 00:57:25

States or your, you know

engvall]: 00:57:28

against Caprinck, or right, you're You're for Cappine, or' four. The The, you

engvall]: 00:57:32

know, the President, and N f, ▁l, and blah blah blah, Like, once it became

engvall]: 00:57:35

such a big spectacle. then

engvall]: 00:57:38

Y, you know it. it just becomes

engvall]: 00:57:41

such a. It's such a sensitive thing for any team to even go down that path. I

engvall]: 00:57:46

just

engvall]: 00:57:48

I, I feel like Nike

engvall]: 00:57:51

obviously like steps in and says hey, we're goingnna be. we're gonna. we're

engvall]: 00:57:54

gonna back Caprnick and we're goingnna put him in our you know advertisements

engvall]: 00:57:58

and we're go to support him and his brand and all these things, which is

engvall]: 00:58:01

great, right like he. doesn't. you know honestly, he probably doesn't you

engvall]: 00:58:04

know, live the way he lives without that. You know monetary backing from Nike

shuang]: 00:58:09

right

engvall]: 00:58:10

in the sponsorship because clearly he's an incredible athlete to begin with,

engvall]: 00:58:14

Right, like he might not be your typical quarterback That you know, Tom Brady,

engvall]: 00:58:18

throwing touchown passes. but like he was relatively well loved, you know by a

engvall]: 00:58:23

lot of people and took the forty niners with a team that probably shouldn't

engvall]: 00:58:26

have made it to the super boowl to the super boowl. So I think he's He was.

shuang]: 00:58:29

against my ravens. Too

engvall]: 00:58:32

Yeah, and and you know like

engvall]: 00:58:35

it, it's such a. It's such a weird thing because like part of me is like I

engvall]: 00:58:38

want to support by. you know,

engvall]: 00:58:41

buying, and you know

engvall]: 00:58:44

supporting the people that I that I care about and appreciate, but at the same

engvall]: 00:58:47

time it's kind of like you know, Like what you're saying with with you know,

engvall]: 00:58:52

Jordan's sitting in the stores.

engvall]: 00:58:55

If if everybody is

engvall]: 00:58:58

kind of

engvall]: 00:59:02

just doesn't care one way or the other about that brand, whether that's Nike

engvall]: 00:59:06

or Jordan Ordidas or anybody, then all these marketing things just kind of

engvall]: 00:59:11

become

engvall]: 00:59:13

just Mar. They feel like just marketing things to me, I guess is what I'm

engvall]: 00:59:16

trying to say in a long, long winded way, and that's an unfortunate thing,

engvall]: 00:59:19

because

engvall]: 00:59:21

whether it was true or not, I always felt like everything that Nike

engvall]: 00:59:26

was into and did was you know,

shuang]: 00:59:28

genuine. right.

engvall]: 00:59:29

you know, like you align with the beliefs or something right like, At least

shuang]: 00:59:30

Yeah, coming from a place that you. that yet that you agree with and it's

engvall]: 00:59:31

that's what you're kind of.

shuang]: 00:59:34

aligned and

engvall]: 00:59:35

Yeah.

shuang]: 00:59:36

genuine and real.

engvall]: 00:59:39

Yeah, I don't know, man, it's It's a really interesting thing.

shuang]: 00:59:43

It's tough because it's like. I mean, I'm not. I am not a very political person

shuang]: 00:59:49

whether it's U politics or Chinese politics, and I always try to steer away from

shuang]: 00:59:55

itcause. It's like politics and religion is where people get into fights and

shuang]: 00:59:59

arguments the time so,

engvall]: 01:00:02

yep,

shuang]: 01:00:02

but

shuang]: 01:00:04

it it's funny because once you throw in the monetary aspect of it like

shuang]: 01:00:11

you going to get a lot out of people just biting their fighting their tongues,

shuang]: 01:00:15

you know, and it's normally normally some of these athletes are super outspoken,

shuang]: 01:00:20

but then all of a sudden like

engvall]: 01:00:21

yeah,

shuang]: 01:00:22

you're going to hi, you're going to hit them in their wallets and it's like, Oh,

shuang]: 01:00:25

I don't think I'm going to talk this.

engvall]: 01:00:28

yep,

engvall]: 01:00:30

yeah, it's it's a.

engvall]: 01:00:33

it's really something. And and I, you know, like I

engvall]: 01:00:38

don't really have. like a. You know,

engvall]: 01:00:41

uh, an

engvall]: 01:00:44

A. a response to it In a sense. So I, I don't know if you. you probably saw.

engvall]: 01:00:47

Of course you saw. But like it's like that Sports Illustrated thing coming out

engvall]: 01:00:51

with. You know. Uh, what's his name? from Jordan Brand? You know saying that

engvall]: 01:00:55

he killed a guy as a teenager And

shuang]: 01:00:56

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I saw that

engvall]: 01:00:59

like, I still don't know how I really want to process that right part of me is

engvall]: 01:01:03

like Howard White. Pardon me, is like

engvall]: 01:01:08

Okay. I'm happy that you made a life for yourself and got out of that

engvall]: 01:01:12

situation. Yes, of course, but at the same time you killed somebody like

engvall]: 01:01:16

that's

shuang]: 01:01:17

and and you got away with it. You

engvall]: 01:01:18

insane to me like I can't. Yeah,

engvall]: 01:01:22

and you know, and just

engvall]: 01:01:26

I don't know. It's It's just such a weird thing and I, It's the funny thing is

engvall]: 01:01:30

like. I feel like we're getting more and more of these like, just

engvall]: 01:01:34

because we have such transparency into so much stuff going on like you know,

engvall]: 01:01:40

not to dismiss. You know what people have as opinions or like you know,

engvall]: 01:01:45

someone wanting to speak out like the Nez Canter thing,

engvall]: 01:01:49

Someone

engvall]: 01:01:50

of Annez Canter's

engvall]: 01:01:53

let's say, uh, basketball skill level and social clout and all of that ten

engvall]: 01:01:58

years ago he would not have any platform that would

shuang]: 01:02:02

one hundred percent,

engvall]: 01:02:02

give him that time. right

shuang]: 01:02:04

one hundred percent.

engvall]: 01:02:05

so now we're getting to see everybody's little

engvall]: 01:02:08

things, and now every little thing has to become this big decision

engvall]: 01:02:13

over like you know, or at least that's the way people are putting it. like Big

engvall]: 01:02:17

decision over. Do I support this? Do I support that And it's like you know,

engvall]: 01:02:21

sometimes you just want to buy a pair of shoes be cause you like to pair of

engvall]: 01:02:23

shoes? You know. it's like.

shuang]: 01:02:25

I mean. so like it's no.

engvall]: 01:02:25

I mean, that sounds really horrible and I don't mean that in a bad way. But

shuang]: 01:02:28

I know I make. I totally get it. It's like. Yeah, what he says is really messed

shuang]: 01:02:33

up. What what was potentially happening? or I mean, I don't know. But like the

shuang]: 01:02:38

whole you know cotton issue, Like

shuang]: 01:02:42

did that. Like I was talking, I was thinking about the Cotinton issue. I was

shuang]: 01:02:46

reading Bo about it and then purple metallic dropped. It's like, and I'm going

shuang]: 01:02:52

to go get them. It's like like, uh, I.

engvall]: 01:02:55

yeah, yep.

shuang]: 01:02:57

what? what? I feel? What I feel, Um

shuang]: 01:03:02

shuang]: 01:03:04

socially about these

shuang]: 01:03:07

con like about these topics and issues. Yeah, I. I told I will read about it. I

shuang]: 01:03:12

will understand it, but that's not going to stop me from doing what I like.

shuang]: 01:03:17

And what I like is I like to buy shoes. And and I know it sounds messed up

shuang]: 01:03:23

because those things should be tied together, but I see of them as separate

shuang]: 01:03:26

entities.

engvall]: 01:03:29

yeah. do you do you see like O. Obviously it's it's p. I assume it's much

engvall]: 01:03:35

different there versus here where we have. You know we have

engvall]: 01:03:40

like I know. Cancel culture in in China is obviously much more it. It, it

engvall]: 01:03:45

appears from here to be more of a government level or a bigger it, like it's a

engvall]: 01:03:49

massive thing, right as opposed to you know,

engvall]: 01:03:54

I feel like here in the States, you know, like somebody wants to cancel the

engvall]: 01:03:58

local pizza spot Every you know

engvall]: 01:04:01

couple of months, because whatever you know, they put pineapples on pizza and

engvall]: 01:04:05

people don't like pineapples on their pizza. But like it's so,

engvall]: 01:04:10

there are so many little things that become like just blown out of proportion

engvall]: 01:04:14

here where I just feel like if people just learn to talk to each other and

engvall]: 01:04:18

have conversations, we wouldn't have to deal with so much of this stuff.

shuang]: 01:04:21

I mean so like,

engvall]: 01:04:21

Do you see like smaller level?

shuang]: 01:04:25

um, No, like when people get when things or people get cancelled here like they

shuang]: 01:04:30

get like can sold like legit canceled, like, um, an an actor was, um, like found

shuang]: 01:04:39

out for, like you know, doing a lot of like shady stuff like sexual harass and

shuang]: 01:04:44

stuff like he's got locked up like he. He got cancelled not just by his

shuang]: 01:04:48

followers. he got like his social media platforms got raased

shuang]: 01:04:53

like he can't, he can't go on. It's the grand. He can't go on way, boy, he

shuang]: 01:04:57

can't. He can't post anywhere and he's in jail. He's sitting in jail until his

shuang]: 01:05:02

they. And it's like that wouldn't happen in the States. You know what I mean?

shuang]: 01:05:06

Like y,

shuang]: 01:05:08

like when you get cancelled out here. it's it's the real deal like you are. You

shuang]: 01:05:13

are in serious trouble. Um, and

shuang]: 01:05:17

um. So like that, the the small type of like social media, kind of like backlash

shuang]: 01:05:23

stuff. Yeah, it, it. it does happen. But um, if for some reason it reaches like,

shuang]: 01:05:30

kind of like,

shuang]: 01:05:33

uh,

shuang]: 01:05:36

disgracing like Chinese culture or like you're a disgrace to like the Chinese

shuang]: 01:05:40

society. that's when you're in trouble. That's when

shuang]: 01:05:44

so like that's the national pride thing is like a. It's like a real thing out

shuang]: 01:05:47

here

engvall]: 01:05:49

Yeah, yeah,

engvall]: 01:05:52

yeah, it's it's

engvall]: 01:05:54

I don't know, man. I just, I have so many thoughts around it in so many

engvall]: 01:05:58

different ways, because it's it's all

engvall]: 01:06:02

just added tension and added stress to everyone's lives that I think

engvall]: 01:06:08

you know. especially here in the states, we've had the political tension over

engvall]: 01:06:13

the past. you know, five years, six years. whatever it's been has just been

engvall]: 01:06:18

almost unbearable. you know you. You can't avoid the conversations. The and I,

engvall]: 01:06:23

I don't. necessarily. I'm very opinionated, but I don't like push my opinion

engvall]: 01:06:28

on other people. I don't

shuang]: 01:06:29

right.

engvall]: 01:06:30

like. Go stand in line at Starbucks and say you know you should be this and

engvall]: 01:06:33

you should be that or whatever. But like I do,

engvall]: 01:06:38

you know I, I feel like I could avoid a lot of this even in the news right,

engvall]: 01:06:44

like you know, for,

engvall]: 01:06:46

for you know, prior to the last five years you didn't have to. Everything

engvall]: 01:06:51

wasn't like the end of the world as we know, it kind of

engvall]: 01:06:55

craziness in terms of like the.

engvall]: 01:06:58

The. The way things are kind of almost like

engvall]: 01:07:02

politicized and and turned into ammunition against the people that you don't

engvall]: 01:07:06

you know,

engvall]: 01:07:07

agree with or believe have the same beliefs with. but

engvall]: 01:07:11

I guess to to to kind of get go in a different direction and get back to like

engvall]: 01:07:15

sneakers In A. In a more positive note, What what are you looking at in the

engvall]: 01:07:20

next you know, as the end of the year comes along, anything that you're

engvall]: 01:07:24

looking to pick up. anything that you're excited about.

shuang]: 01:07:27

Yeah, yeah, until the end of the month, The boo the Bord ones. I really like

shuang]: 01:07:30

that.

shuang]: 01:07:33

I have a feeling those will probably sit out here. just judging by what

shuang]: 01:07:37

everything else has been sitting, like there's been more desirable pairs and

shuang]: 01:07:42

it's not like an Oj colorway right, so

shuang]: 01:07:45

I'm pretty confident that those will sit.

shuang]: 01:07:50

Let's see, I do. I do like the the Jordan one that Gotex pair I posted the other

shuang]: 01:07:56

day, So like they released out here already,

engvall]: 01:07:58

Yeah, it looks nice.

shuang]: 01:07:59

I do. I do like them. Um, I like the white paar better than the black pair, so

shuang]: 01:08:03

I, I do think I'll pick up Um that pair as well, um, I mean cool grey elevens I

shuang]: 01:08:09

think that's a must.

shuang]: 01:08:12

Um.

shuang]: 01:08:14

I, I am not going to try. I'm not even going to try to go for the so white twos.

shuang]: 01:08:21

Um,

shuang]: 01:08:22

Just because

shuang]: 01:08:24

shuang]: 01:08:26

am,

shuang]: 01:08:28

I don't know. it's it's something. I think it would be a great piece to have in

shuang]: 01:08:32

your collection, but I just can't imagine wearing wearing it. I don't hate it.

shuang]: 01:08:36

I, actually, I. I. I like the design inspiration that Virgil went on Sean's

shuang]: 01:08:42

page, and and did all like the excellent explanation. That was really cool how

engvall]: 01:08:46

Yeah, yep.

shuang]: 01:08:46

he did that. Um, so I do like

engvall]: 01:08:48

yeah, definitely.

shuang]: 01:08:48

the. the. Yeah, The design elements of it Like after seeing the Un, An

shuang]: 01:08:52

understanding where he got. you know the idea for it. I. I, I like it a lot

shuang]: 01:08:56

more, but it's just not a pair that I can imagine myself wearing.

engvall]: 01:09:02

D. Okay. So that makes me, gives me one more question, Then I'll let you go.

engvall]: 01:09:07

Um, the you posted.

engvall]: 01:09:10

Uh, what union fors recently? Right?

shuang]: 01:09:12

Yeah,

engvall]: 01:09:12

Obviously in the States, brands like Union off White. You know anything like

engvall]: 01:09:18

that Scot that stuff is, you know. the first to go sells

shuang]: 01:09:23

Mhm,

engvall]: 01:09:23

out everywhere. Basically

shuang]: 01:09:24

Mhm,

engvall]: 01:09:26

is there are those like kind of collaborative partners for Nike. You know, are

engvall]: 01:09:31

they big enough in China to to you know, kind of get past the retro sitting on

engvall]: 01:09:37

the wall, or is it still like kind of hit or misss with some of those?

shuang]: 01:09:41

it's It's a little hitter, Miss, and the only reason why those shoes do well is

shuang]: 01:09:45

because

shuang]: 01:09:46

Pe. I mean people follow prices in the States and people follow hype in the

shuang]: 01:09:51

states. So people lost their mind for the unions. There, people here have no

shuang]: 01:09:55

idea

shuang]: 01:09:57

if union is a store. If union person, they're like. Who is who is

shuang]: 01:10:03

what is the union right? They have no idea. they have absolutely no idea. but

shuang]: 01:10:08

they know that it's expensive and they know that it's limited. So then they'll

shuang]: 01:10:11

they'll They want it, Um, the

shuang]: 01:10:15

that that color way in particular. Did they just did a random reock on the

shuang]: 01:10:19

sneakers up, and for some, re. I thought it was only goingnna be sneakers at

shuang]: 01:10:23

Mean. My buddy was at the Uh, the main flagship store, and and he saw like there

shuang]: 01:10:28

were small sizes left like six and under, but the fact that they were still even

shuang]: 01:10:33

in store is pretty amazing. Um,

engvall]: 01:10:36

Yeah,

shuang]: 01:10:36

so like off white stuff. Obviously tra this stuff. that stuff will fly. Um. Last

shuang]: 01:10:41

time when the Travis Los dropped, my buddy saw some of the the hoodies and the

shuang]: 01:10:46

shirts and the shorts still in the store, so um, I don't know if if

shuang]: 01:10:53

if those things would instantly sell out in the States, they probably do. But

shuang]: 01:10:57

Um, those were still in store. Uh, and the reason why I said hit or miss is

shuang]: 01:11:01

because some collaps don't fly like the Billy Iyish stuff. The her whole

shuang]: 01:11:07

collection sets here, Um,

engvall]: 01:11:09

wow,

shuang]: 01:11:09

the ones the one kos, those sat,

engvall]: 01:11:11

yeah,

shuang]: 01:11:12

and then the fifteens, but the fifteens were really expensive. The retail on

shuang]: 01:11:16

them was two fifty,

shuang]: 01:11:19

Um here, So you know people weren't really moving for that, just the high price

shuang]: 01:11:25

tag and also like

shuang]: 01:11:27

they were just like Mm. My. I don't really know Billy Ilish. Like,

shuang]: 01:11:32

like, even for me like, I thought the fifteen looked okay. I thought the chaos

shuang]: 01:11:36

were okay too, but I wasn't gonna go out of my way to to really buy them and it

shuang]: 01:11:41

was cool to see them in stores.

engvall]: 01:11:41

yeahy,

shuang]: 01:11:42

The A lay, May fourteens, those sacks, Um, I, I. I picked up a pair of those. I.

shuang]: 01:11:48

I like that pair. Um, but

shuang]: 01:11:51

yeah, like so it's kind of hit or miss. It depends on how popular they are And

shuang]: 01:11:56

and you know whether

shuang]: 01:11:58

Um, China or Chinese people have any connection to them, which you know for

shuang]: 01:12:02

Laley May and Billy Iish, they didn't. But uh, for the other stuff, it's more

shuang]: 01:12:07

like the The price and the the. how limited it is to get like those off white

shuang]: 01:12:13

twos. I mean, stuff like that will never sit anywhere right.

engvall]: 01:12:18

yeah. yeah.

engvall]: 01:12:20

well man, it's been awesome to chat with you. Um,

engvall]: 01:12:24

I guess you know, Let every know everyone know where they can find you and I

engvall]: 01:12:28

guess a little bit about your group too, just in case people from Shanghai are

engvall]: 01:12:33

listening and they want to meet up with the guys.

shuang]: 01:12:35

Uh, yeah, so you know if? uh, so you can find me a Shanghai soul. I g. um, I'm

shuang]: 01:12:41

not on any. I'm not on Twitter. Uh, I'm not. I don't do you, tooube, like people

shuang]: 01:12:45

are always like, Why don't you? Why don't you get on that like? why don't you do

shuang]: 01:12:49

Youtube reviews you could like do, like sneaker walk through

shuang]: 01:12:53

and and stuff like that like

shuang]: 01:12:56

I don't know. I'm lazy. I have a full time job like I, I, I like what I'm doing

shuang]: 01:13:00

right now, and um,

shuang]: 01:13:03

well, we'll see. we'll see. what. What? what happens? But you know that's just

shuang]: 01:13:07

not my. That's just not my lane. I know my land is just posting pictures. and

shuang]: 01:13:11

and it was funny 'cause cuso

shuang]: 01:13:13

um,

shuang]: 01:13:15

um posted some of my stuff like he posted a thing on his hyped on his uh, talk

shuang]: 01:13:22

on on his Youtube video and then people are like Oh, you should. you should do

shuang]: 01:13:25

something like that and I'm like that's just not my thing. I don't do like the

shuang]: 01:13:29

inspirational ▁quotes, with sneakers and and stuff like that. Um,

shuang]: 01:13:33

yeah, I,

engvall]: 01:13:33

Yeah,

shuang]: 01:13:34

I, I, just i. I just stick to insigram, and I just take photos. I, I just try to

shuang]: 01:13:38

show people what's out here. I know some people get salty, get a little upset

shuang]: 01:13:43

and man that day Nices cakes, reposted my picture. I got three hundred d Ms.

shuang]: 01:13:47

When I woke up like three hundred d Ms. All right and only about ten of them

shuang]: 01:13:53

were about. That's really cool. awesome content. The other two hundred ninety.

shuang]: 01:13:57

Where where can I send my money? I'll pay you to go get shoes for me. Um, let me

shuang]: 01:14:04

know how much it is. Here's my paypal. Like send me an invoice, and uh, and it's

shuang]: 01:14:10

just like I'm not in enough for the money. You know, like people are like. Don't

shuang]: 01:14:14

you want to make money like you would make a killing? I'm like. Actually, I

shuang]: 01:14:17

wouldn't make a killing because shipping is so expensive out here. Um, I

shuang]: 01:14:21

wouldn't make

engvall]: 01:14:21

yeah, yeah, yeah.

shuang]: 01:14:22

that much money and it's not even worth my. It's not worth my time, and my wife

shuang]: 01:14:26

would kill me If I walked home with like four forty bags of sneakers. She, she,

shuang]: 01:14:30

literally, I would be. I'd be up living on the streets. I'm not even joking

shuang]: 01:14:34

about that. Um, but uh

engvall]: 01:14:37

Well, in, you know, to your point about the Youtube videos right like Couso's

engvall]: 01:14:41

been making videos for twelve years, So like

shuang]: 01:14:42

right,

engvall]: 01:14:43

the editing and the filming and

shuang]: 01:14:44

yeah,

engvall]: 01:14:44

it's like the amount of work. it's hard enough for me to like create podcast.

engvall]: 01:14:48

And you know this will be a Youtube video too, But the amount of work that

engvall]: 01:14:52

goes into it for me is like, man, do I really want to keep doing this like.

engvall]: 01:14:55

Even though I enjoy it, it's still just so much work and time that goes into

shuang]: 01:14:59

yeah,

engvall]: 01:14:59

it to create it to make it something that people really enjoy. So

engvall]: 01:15:02

I totally agree You know, like you got to make sure you follow ▁j, But don't

shuang]: 01:15:02

I mean cook kudos to you to you guys.

engvall]: 01:15:07

ask. Don't ask to to be hooked up with stuff. That's the. That's the the one

engvall]: 01:15:10

rule.

shuang]: 01:15:11

I will say, though, for like everyone that I've chopped it up with on podcasts

shuang]: 01:15:14

and stuff, Nick, and this is this is to you and in your in your crew, maybe not

shuang]: 01:15:18

your discord of two hundred, but your crew definitely let me know if there's

shuang]: 01:15:22

anything you guys want out here that you may not be able to get in the States,

shuang]: 01:15:25

because Um, I was going to like help, help where I can with with my friends and

shuang]: 01:15:29

stuff, So if there's anything that you see that I post that you're like, oh,

shuang]: 01:15:32

man, like after shipping. It'll still be cheaper than getting it in the shapes.

shuang]: 01:15:38

Just let me know and I'll see what I can do.

engvall]: 01:15:41

Cool. We appreciate that, definitely, man. and and honestly I was thinking

engvall]: 01:15:44

about it. Um, you know, we'll We'll have to figure out a way to like. We do.

engvall]: 01:15:50

uh, like Every month we do like triviaites and ▁zoom calls with our community.

engvall]: 01:15:54

It' be cool to have you come on and just be a part of that too, because I know

engvall]: 01:15:57

that, like people would love to to, kind of you know, just everybody he loves

engvall]: 01:16:01

having, like somebody else in the room to kind of talk to and hear about

engvall]: 01:16:05

because they're like. It's such a different experience for you, so maybe we

shuang]: 01:16:08

Yeah, for sure, man, like sneaker draft. To let me knowcause. I listen to all

engvall]: 01:16:08

can get that worked out in the next few months, too.

shuang]: 01:16:12

the sneaker drafts. I love. Um. I think I message you when you guys did like the

shuang]: 01:16:16

fives. That one was awesome like. I really. Yeah, I really love it. It's It's so

shuang]: 01:16:21

coolcause. It takes me down memory lane and sometimes when you guys are

shuang]: 01:16:24

nominating shoes I was like. Oh my God, I forgot about that pair. Um, and then

shuang]: 01:16:28

there's

engvall]: 01:16:29

yeah, yeah, yep,

shuang]: 01:16:29

like a pair. There was a pair. that. Like no one mentioned. I was like. How did

shuang]: 01:16:32

no one not say this? Come on like,

shuang]: 01:16:35

Um. And and so yeah, like I, I would. I would love to be uh, a part of that

shuang]: 01:16:40

that. uh, that discussion one time and then yeah, man, it's I don't. I don't

engvall]: 01:16:44

cool.

shuang]: 01:16:44

post to make people upset, you know like I'm just trying to show you guys what's

shuang]: 01:16:48

out here. I know. sometimes I can get a little snarky in my comments. They're

shuang]: 01:16:52

like. Oh, like someone was like. Oh, what what will it take? What will it take

shuang]: 01:16:55

to get these shoes? And I was like a ticket and a hotel in Shanghai, and like a

shuang]: 01:17:00

round trip ticket and and a in a hotel like that's what it take. People are like

shuang]: 01:17:05

you're a stick man like you'

shuang]: 01:17:07

It's just like After after like five hundred d ms of meet people trying to get

shuang]: 01:17:12

me to buy the shoes. It's just like what what it's like turned me into like some

shuang]: 01:17:15

like salty dude Now, so um, yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to show show what's

shuang]: 01:17:21

ahead in the future. What could be for the States, Hopefully one day soon,

engvall]: 01:17:28

yeah, yeah, man. well, thanks for for doing that. I know I appreciate

engvall]: 01:17:31

following you and seeing all the stuff is is you know, as you come across it,

engvall]: 01:17:35

and Um, thanks for spending time with me to chat today. Uh, make sure that you

engvall]: 01:17:39

follow ▁ Ja on Instergram Shanghai Soul. If you haven't make sure you

engvall]: 01:17:43

subscribe to our Youtube channel as well, and if you like this podcast,

engvall]: 01:17:47

definitely give us some feedback whether that's in interview, Twitter.

engvall]: 01:17:50

integram, Facebook. Where you want to find us, we're kind of all over and uh,

engvall]: 01:17:55

Hopefully we'll see ▁j on one of the next episodes of the My Starting Five

engvall]: 01:17:59

We'll catch everybody on the next episode. Talk too soon.

engvall]: 01:18:02

Peace,

shuang]: 01:18:04

Appreciate you. Thank you.

engvall]: 01:18:04

all right, So you got to leave this up for just a split second, dude?

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