A few days ago, the first edition of one of the biggest events in the Middle East dedicated to sneakers took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia :SNEAK.ME. During a fortnight, enthusiasts as well as the simply curious were able to immerse themselves in the « Sneaker Culture » through different prisms allowing to better understand what the sneaker represents in the world.
It’s thus in Riyadh, capital and largest city of the country, that SNEAK.ME was installed.
On the spot, it was possible to discover a large selection of resellers (from all over the world) who came to propose some of the rarest pairs in the world. Retailers or official sport brands were present to show their latest collections or innovations. Once inside, we were immersed in a real universe reminiscent of a small town where it was possible to eat with a wide choice of food stands, even a grocery store, a barber and a small square where we could rest surrounded by palm trees. In terms of entertainment, a huge stage allowed to enjoy the numerous DJs present, artists who came to sing or acrobatic shows. A vast space dedicated to customization and animated by Matt B Customs was a great success in terms of attendance. On the basketball court specially built for the event, one could try free throws, but also participate to conferences around different subjects like custom or influence fashion.
In the center of this small « village », we could discover certainly the most beautiful spot of the event (in my opinion) with the « Sneaker Museum ». A space composed of more than 200 rare pairs from the personal collection of two of the greatest collectors of sneakers in the Middle East : @faisaltaf from Saudi Arabia and @kickstq from Kuwait. The museum was organized by categories, with the top 10 in each of them. Categories such as : Yeezy, Jordan, SB, Air Force, Air Max, Kobe, adidas… Unreleased pairs were also present such as the « Jordan VI Batman Boot » from one of the movies.
With this event, it seems that Saudi Arabia has decided to show the world its interest in an innovative future, open to different cultures from the street and other continents. It’s likely that this opening on the world of fashion, music, art and sports, will allow this great country to evolve towards a great destiny placing it as one of the epicenters of the « Culture ». Congratulations to the organizers who succeeded in creating a beautiful event, perhaps a little long (1 week maximum, even 3 or 4 days would be enough in my opinion) but successful in terms of organization.
