Seoul, South Korea – ‘Sneakertopia’, an immersive sneaker pop-up experience, is coming to Asia this 2022, starting off in Seoul, South Korea in April following a successful pop-up participation at the Chongqing Jiebeifang International Consumer Festival in China. The Asia rollout of the immersive experience is made possible by digital talent and media company Gushcloud and entertainment design entity SL Experiences.
‘Sneakertopia’ is an immersive exhibition built to honor sneaker culture, featuring artworks of global and local artists whose street art masterpieces are influenced by sneaker culture in sports, music, film, art, and fashion. After its launch in Seoul, the exhibition aims to travel around North and Southeast Asia for a wide variety of audiences to experience the world of sneakers.
Producer Steve Harris and Silicon Valley Tech entrepreneur Steve Brown founded ‘Sneakertopia’ with their intention to share the celebration of love for sneakers all around the world.
“Sneakertopia Asia is a dream that our team has been developing for years. We’ve had great success bonding over our love for sneakers in Los Angeles, and we wanted to bring this celebration over to Asia where a lot of people share the same passion. Although we’ve had a few bumps in the road with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still a great demand for offline experiences and we want people to experience and appreciate the transformative culture of sneakers,” Harris said.
Sneakertopia also incorporates a digital-physical hybrid experience with augmented reality integration that allows visitors to discover the story behind the sneaker culture icons and idols beyond what is visually present.
Ross Leo, co-founder at SL Experiences, said, “Even amidst the COVID-19 closures we have seen the huge pent up demand for offline experiences, be it through retail or attractions. Although the dependency in online and digital usage is undeniable, great offline experiences which incorporate elements of digital components like ‘Sneakertopia’ will further increase visitors’ experience and enjoyment.”
Meanwhile, Althea Lim, CEO at Gushcloud International, commented, “As we’ve seen over the years, it’s not just about the products anymore. The experience economy is booming and now is the perfect time for Gushcloud to be at the forefront of driving this trend further in the East and the West. With Sneakertopia in Asia, we hope to bring in more experiences that people will love and that will shape the future of the experience economy in Asia.”
Jamie Paraso, country director at Gushcloud Philippines, also added, “As an avid fan of sneakers, I was really looking forward to this engagement. Sneakertopia opens Gushcloud to a wider playing field where like-minded individuals would be able to share their passions. It’s a dream that’s being actualized and as Gushcloud, we get to be a part of this powerful cultural journey. Despite these unprecedented times there continues to be a big push here in Asia showcasing how experiences continue to bring people together from across the globe.”
