SneakerLAH is Malaysia’s biggest sneaker convention. This year, it took place at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur over the weekend of 7 and 8 October. It’s now in its seventh edition, but the first for SNKRDUNK as a part of it.

Brands and vendors—from within Malaysia and across the region like Singapore and Thailand—showed out with elaborate and thematic installations. Fans showed up in their finest fits and freshest footwear. Everybody was dressed to impressed with many of the latest and greatest sneakers making appearances.

As much as there was business to do, there was just as much to enjoy! Here’s a retrospective look at some of them:

1. One-of-a-Kind Sneaker Installations

From legacy brands to independent vendors, SneakerLAH housed full of them from all over the world, all through the weekend. Everyone spared no effort in delivering a unique visual experience to attendees.

There were KEEN and ASICS, Singapore’s Lucky Shop, as well as Malaysia’s Water The Plant and Zapbalang. Lest we forget, Motorsport Playground’s Kicks on Wheels showcase that redressed sports cars as popular sneakers like the Nike Air Jordan 1 High and SneakerLAH’s very own ASICS GEL-LYTE III “Teh Tarik”.

2. Finest Fits and Freshest Footwear

SneakerLAH is the type of event people reserve their favorite outfits for. It was a gathering of the gens du monde, a display of fashion savvy of all degrees and influences. It’s one way to wear your clothes, but another to style them. And many put their original twist to the archetypes.

3. The Trading Pit

A sneaker convention isn’t complete without a trading pit. The floor was opened to individuals looking to trade and sell their shoes, forming a souk that carried some of the most interesting and rarest silhouettes people have kept.

Some laid their items on the floor, others placed it on their heads walking around. There were teenagers, the elderly, boys and girls, partaking in the experience. It wasn’t just a display of shoes, it was a display of inclusivity, a display of the culture’s growth.

4. Panel With Complex’s Full Size Run and Patta Co-founder Edson Sabajo

All the way from New York City, Full Size Run’s Brendan Dunne, Matt Welty, and Trinidad James convened for a panel discussion with Patta Co-founder Edson Sabajo.

Conducted by SneakerLAH head honcho Bryan Chin, the guests shared their acute perspectives from various facets of the industry. Perspectives only availed to those at the upper echelon. From the conception of Patta’s incoming Nike Air Max Plus “FC Barcelona”, to the trajectory of the culture.

There was also a meet-and-greet where a lucky fan managed to have his Complex Presents: Sneaker of the Year: The Best Since ’85 book autographed by all three hosts of Full Size Run.

5. SNKRDUNK’s “Retail Price Drop” Stage Event

SNKRDUNK took to the main stage for a Retail Price Drop event for pairs of Yuto Horigome x Nike SB Dunk Low at its original retail price. Only five were up for grabs with about a hundred enthusiastic participants. Thus, a game to narrow down the pool.

The Bring Me Game saw audiences digging through their bags, pockets, and outfits for items that were called. An adrenaline inducing segment that saw participants making haste to the stage—in mere seconds.

One of the rare times SNKRDUNK and the community were engaged vis-à-vis, unseparated by the screens of phones and laptops.

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SNKRDUNK’s first SneakerLAH couldn’t have gone any better. It was an eye-opening, exciting, and exhilarating experience.

All the above-mentioned are broad strokes of what the entire event was. Adding to the fun were the discovery of new brands, the conversations with the attendees, as well as the activities each vendor had planned in their shops.

For the rest of the details, we’ll keep that in our memories. If you want to find out, you’ll have to experience them for yourself at next year’s SneakerLAH. And perhaps, we’ll see you there!

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