DVD Review: Sneakerheadz

If you think women are the only ones obsessed with shoe shopping, think again. There is an entire subculture, mostly men, collecting sneakers. Sneakerheadz documents these folks obsessed with athletic footwear. And no, they aren’t fetishists; at least, that word is never uttered in the film. If they do derive any sexual satisfaction from their peculiar hobby, they don’t mention it here. They are collectors; it’s just that their choice of item to collect might seem odd to the rest of us.

The film provides the briefest of histories of the word “sneaker” and of sneaker companies, before getting into the confessions, thoughts and boasts of the sneaker collectors. There is a bit of footage of Run-D.M.C. performing “My Adidas” while fans hold up their shoes. Yes, it’s weird. That song and its accompanying video are basically advertisements for Adidas sneakers, but I guess fans of that group not only didn’t care about them selling out, but actually embraced and celebrated it. It’s kind of sad. But that is not what this documentary is about.

This film is basically a celebration of sneakers and those people who collect them, as well as those who design them. The only person voicing an outside opinion on the subject is Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, who asks, “How do we distinguish normal collecting from hoarding disorder?” The film doesn’t provide an answer to that question, nor does it really delve into the psychology of collecting. It’s more about culture and identity. Skateboarder Rob Dyrdek says: “There’s a handful of things that can define who you are without saying a word, and your shoes are one of them.” Yes, talk about superficial. I’d like to think I am a bit more complicated than whatever shoes I happen to be wearing.

These people have really bought into the commercial culture. Another guy admits that it’s all about the brand, that even if a shoe looks great, if it’s from an uncool brand, it just won’t work. These people are true consumers. These are the folks at whom advertising is aimed. I’ve collected a lot of things over the years myself (Star Wars toys, baseball cards, records), and it’s interesting to me that some of the behavior is the same regardless of the object collected. For example, some of these guys buy more than one pair – one to wear, one to keep in the box. I used to do something similar with Star Wars action figures, buying one to open and one to keep in the packaging, with the goal of someday displaying the entire collection.

They are certainly dedicated to their hobby. Some of these guys would travel to different cities, even different countries, to purchase sneakers. Others have made money from their passion. One man from Japan travels to the United States, buys sneakers, and then sells them back in Japan for a much higher price.

For me, the most interesting material in this documentary comes toward the end, with the news footage of people being trampled by other customers eager to purchase a limited edition sneaker, and the interview with a mother of a guy who was shot for his sneakers. She created an organization called Life Over Fashion. I would have liked a bit more about that. There is also some cool stuff near the end about children designing sneakers. And I always appreciate shots of Fenway Park.

Sneakerheadz was directed by David T. Friendly and Mick Partridge, and was released on DVD on November 22, 2016 through Filmrise. The DVD contains no special features.