During the weekend of 2 and 3 March, Singapore’s population must’ve seen an uptick with the influx of people from across the sea and causeway. As groundbreaking as it is, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour wasn’t the only thing influencing the tourism economy. “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth”—Sneaker Con SEA 2024—also made its own two-day stop in town.

Through our lens, SNKRDUNK’s Sneaker Con SEA 2024 highlights:

SURE-WIN LUCKY DRAW

Transactions happen all the time but reality is, it doesn’t always take place in a real-life setting. Thus, events like Sneaker Con SEA is indubitably special. An opportunity to interact with the passionate people behind every exchange.

Five US$100 SNKRDUNK coupons, four TCG items, three streetwear pieces, and eight of the most coveted sneakers: The crème de la crème of our 2,000-item prize pool totalling over SG$45,000. All for the very community that we serve daily in our digital marketplace.

Everyone who joined our Sure-Win Lucky Draw walked away from our booth with something, be it in coupons, collectibles, clothes, or coveted sneakers. Nevertheless, there were a select few that won some of our top prizes. If their day was made, so was ours.

THE TRADING PIT

The Trading Pit is essentially the heart of sneaker culture. Shoes of all price and prestige lay atop their boxes, fronting the sellers perched on camping chairs or the carpet. A setting universal in every sneaker convention around the world.

Most fascinating however is how young some of these traders were. A testament to the culture’s appeal and ability to transcend demographics. It’s a family affair: parents with their kids, kids with their friends. Like Wu-Tang Clan, sneaker culture’s also “for the children”.

SHOES YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT TO SEE

There were shoes on feet that were still months away from release like the Futura Laboratories x Nike SB Dunk Low, and even Travis Scott’s Jordan Jumpman Jack. If there’s ever a time to pull out the grails, it’s Sneaker Con. Therefore, plenty did.

There were shoes you’ve only ever seen in pictures considering how rare they were, and how difficult they are to acquire in this side of the equator.

Think polarizing models like Ye’s earlier signatures with Nike and Louis Vuitton, Kerwin Frost’s McDonald’s “Fry Guy” Clogs, Travis Scott’s infamous “Utopia” Nike Air Force 1. Unfortunately, that also includes Donald Trump’s golden “Never Surrender” high-tops.

THE ELABORATE BOOTHS

It’s Sneaker Con, everyone’s putting their best foot forward—or rather, shoes. For the vendors, it’s about attracting attendees to their booth with their elaborate setups.

Singapore’s The Corner Shop surrounded their offerings with vintage furniture and decorations; Manila’s Don’t Blame the Kids (DBTK), their grunge locker room motifs; and Anti Social Social Club, their bedroom aesthetic. Even the caterers brought in some sneaker-inspired displays.

Although the aforementioned weren’t the only brands that the spotlight hovered over. SBTG released his collaborative “Acoustic Anarchy” capsule with DEF JAM SEA, with the t-shirts packaged like vinyl records.

Adjacent, Singapore’s quintessential sneaker boutique, Limited Edt, stocked many of the latest sneakers that were difficult to acquire during their initial launches like the CLOT x adidas Superstar “Cloud White/Core Black”.

One that dominated from the very first hour reserved for VIPs, was Bangkok’s Carnival. Snaking lines forming around proximate booths, attendees clamoring for the exclusive release of their Umbro x Carnival Special Pack for Sneaker Con SEA 2024, selling out pieces before foot traffic even peaked.

PANEL WITH LEGENDS

This year’s lineup of special guests included the region and industry’s biggest names. Street culture’s quintessential tastemakers: the likes of Singapore’s very own SBTG; mita sneakers’ Shigeyuki Kunii; Patta’s Edson Sabajo; Jeff Staple; Anwar Carrots; and the reverent Godfather of Streetwear, Hiroshi Fujiwara.

Even SODA inc.’s Director of Global Expansion Fumi Kawaguchi was on stage to share her own insight into the industry.

FINE FITS AND FRESH KICKS

The Sneaker Con SEA festivities were a ten and the people dressed to the nines. Every person in the hall, vendors and attendees alike, showed up and showed out. Less said, the better. Enjoy the looks below!

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And that rounds out some of our favorite parts of Sneaker Con SEA 2024. Perhaps, see you in the next one!

We can’t say who—but stay tuned to the SNKRDUNK Magazine and @snkrdunk on Instagram. We’ve got exclusive interviews with some of the VVIPs from the panel.

Till then, keep exploring the SNKRDUNK App and remember to use our welcome code from the banner below before making your first purchase. Additionally, if you would like to try a pair out, visit our stores in Singapore and Japan!

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