Tag: Sneakers

Manila, Philippines – Ox Street, the online integrated sneaker-focused marketplace, has launched a new offering called ‘Used’, which allows authenticated buying and selling of used and b-grade sneakers across APAC. 

For some, it may seem strange to buy used sneakers, but Ox Street data suggests that affinity for secondhand already exists in today’s market. Buyers are keen to acquire limited editions at a friendlier price point, which on average is 30% lower than ‘Brand New, Dead Stock’ (BNDS). 

Based on Ox Street’s research amongst its existing customer base, 45% of buyers of BNDS sneakers have already purchased used sneakers in the past but struggle with the fear of buying fakes. To tackle these challenges, Ox Street manages the end-to-end process for Used – from handling payment and shipping to authenticating all products sold through the platform.

Ox Street has soft-launched Used for sellers two weeks ago, enabling them to start listing their used sneakers. Today marks the launch for buyers, with over 1,000 used sneaker listings already available on the platform, eager for new homes.

To get started with buying and selling used and b-grade sneakers on Ox Street, the search results page on the app will show a small icon indicating if used products are available, and app users can browse all used listings for a particular product after selecting the size.

Gijs Verheijke, Ox Street’s CEO, shared that sneakers are meant to be worn, but sneakerheads tend to accumulate too many pairs to constantly wear all of them. 

“Through Used, we are saving millions of pairs of great sneakers from a slow death at the bottom shelf of someone’s closet. In doing so, we’re also really excited to see the range of limited edition and vintage sneakers making their way back onto the marketplace,” said Verheijke.

Meanwhile, Quek Siu Rui, co-founder and CEO at Carousell Group, said that during the past 10 years, Carousell has facilitated tens of millions of secondhand transactions and inspired people all over the world to start selling and buying secondhand items. 

“Looming environmental changes and over-consumption have made our mission more relevant than ever. The latest Used feature on Ox Street will definitely supercharge the recommerce trend in the region as a market leader in sneakers, and encourage more people to consider secondhand as their first choice,” added Rui.

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.”

Singapore – Sneakers and apparel marketplace Ox Street has announced the launch of its Asia-focused experimental creative studio ‘OX Street Labs’, which will act as an incubator for up and coming Asian artists to co-create limited edition designs that are inspired by the region’s culture. 

OX Street Labs will work with a selected group of SouthEast Asian designers who are radically changing the narrative for fashion-forward Asian consumers, and will give Asian artists a voice and platform to share their designs. The studio will spearhead regional Asian collaborations, made by local designers from Bangkok to Manila. 

“From the very beginning, our intention with Ox Street was to champion Southeast Asia as the future centerpoint of culture, and disrupt the global fashion marketplace. Southeast Asia is underrepresented in the global creative sphere, and with Ox Street Labs we continue to forge a path to more global recognition of local street cultures,” said Gijs Verheijke, founder and CEO of Ox Street.

The creative studio’s launch comes in response to the opportunity of showcasing unique brand collaborations against well-known Western apparel collections such as The Ben & Jerry Dunks Nike and Off White as well as recently the MSCHF x Satan Nike Air Max.

“Local artists and creative concepts from this region don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Ox Street Labs means we can help Asian designers build their artistic platform faster,” Verheijke added.

First edition Ox Street Labs 2021 releases include the Sheng Shiong x Nike Dunk SB, the NDP x Air Jordan 1 ‘No. 4 Camo’, and the Songkran x Nike Dunk High. These limited editions are one of ones, and can be commissioned with Ox Street Labs.

Ox Street has recently expanded its Southeast Asia presence, notably in the Philippines and Malaysia last February this year.

Singapore – Ox Street, a Singapore-born sneaker-focused marketplace, has expanded its presence to Malaysia and the Philippines to connect with its rapidly growing base of buyers across the region. This comes as the e-commerce secures successful funding from a bridge round bringing its total funding to above US$1M. 

Ox Street is as niche as it gets, choosing sneakers as its main product, and going in the direction of resale for its sellers, while a bidding process for its buyers. 

Commenting on the expansion, its CEO and Founder Gijs Verheijke (pictured) said, “Our journey in the last 18 months has been extraordinary, and our launch in Malaysia and the Philippines marks the start of our further expansion in the region. The priority is to continue to keep Ox Street’s Asian credentials in order to help us grow our market share in the region. Our core focus is its product and service-driven approach which is apparent in our success to date.”

Following its recent expansion, consumers on Ox Street can buy and sell on the platform in more than eight markets across the region. Sneaker brands sold on Ox Street include Nike, Air Jordan, Yeezy, and Adidas.

The company believes the demand for its platform is credited to the rise of Gen Z Asian investors, collectors, and fashion-conscious consumers, who are reaching their peak in terms of spending power.

“They are breaking down all negative connotations often linked to re-sale, reinventing the fashion and luxury sectors,” said the company in a press release. 

“We are the only regional player in the space with a mobile app, and one that is design and UX driven in their product. All this is making a difference to create a modern and go-to brand for our Asian audience. We have built a trusted platform for buying and selling the best limited-edition sneakers and we look forward to a positive and successful 2021,” added Verheijke.