The Problem With Factory Variants

The athletic shoe industry has become a multi-billion dollar industry that has grown exponentially throughout the years. Millions of people around the world spend hundreds and thousands of dollars every year on sneakers. Unfortunately for my wallet, I am one of the millions that spend a ridiculous amount of money on shoes every year. With the colossal amount of money to be made on sneakers today, it was only a matter of time before people started to take advantage. What I am talking about are the numerous knock-offs that are out in the marketplace today.

In the sneaker world, knock-offs are referred to as “factory variants”. Just as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada bags are counterfeited, Air Jordan's and other popular Nike shoes are being made in the same illegal manner. To the untrained eye, many of these knock-offs look just like the originals that they were designed after. Due to the demand that sneakers have in our society today, the market is flooded with a bunch of fake shoes. If a person was to search for a pair of Jordan's on eBay, more than half of the shoes that appear on the search results are counterfeit. The problem with these “fakes” is the fact that they are made illegally, outside of Nike's factories. Also, the materials that these shoes are made of are inferior in quality, compared to authentic shoes. Fake shoes are also less than likely to hold up to the normal wear and tear that real shoes go through.

I would like to consider myself an expert when it comes to spotting real shoes and fake shoes. I have seen enough Air Jordan's and Nike's in my life to know almost automatically if the shoe is authentic or not. I feel bad for people that end up purchasing these “factory variants” thinking that they are getting a real pair of shoes, when in reality they are fake. People who are new to this hobby should try and educate themselves so that they do not spend their hard-earned money on a pair of fake shoes. Shoe message boards like Niketalk is a great place to start gathering information. Nike has made a concerted effort to put a stop to the production of “factory variants”. As a Nike/Jordan Brand loyalist, I hope that they are able to rid the world of counterfeits. My message to everyone is, “Say no to fakes!”

BANNED!

According to Wikipedia, media democracy is a “Production and distribution model which promotes a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society and enhances democratic values.” PurpleGorrilla is a blog that is about sneakers, mainly Nike sneakers. Some may think that shoes and media democracy have nothing in common, but I beg to differ. One shoe in particular comes to mind in terms of enhancing democratic values. The shoe that I am referring to is Nike’s most important shoe of all time. It is essentially the shoe that put them on the map. This shoe is the very first Air Jordan, worn by the great Michael Jordan.

The Air Jordan I first came out in 1985 during Michael Jordan’s rookie year in the NBA. One thing that many people may not know is the fact that the NBA banned this shoe when Nike first made it. The shoe was predominantly black with red accents, to match Michael’s Chicago Bulls uniform. Most if not all sneakers that were worn in the NBA back then were usually all white. The NBA felt that all of its players should have uniformity with white sneakers, so they decided to ban the shoe from being worn on the court. Michael wore his sneakers anyway, and the NBA fined him $5,000 for every game that he wore them in. Due to Michael’s great play during his rookie season, his popularity grew and so did the demand for the shoe. Realizing how dumb it was to ban a shoe because of certain colors, the NBA lifted the ban and the rest is now history. The Air Jordan line has now grown into 23 separate models.

In my opinion, the NBA was running a dictatorship with their policy of white basketball shoes on the courts at all times. When Nike and Michael Jordan introduced the Air Jordan I, it was immediately turned away. In a democracy, people are all equal, and are entitled to their own thoughts and opinions, regardless of any outside variables. By bringing a little bit of “color” onto a pair of basketball shoes, I feel that Nike and Michael Jordan indirectly promoted democracy. Though they may have not intended to start a “shoe revolution”, Nike and Jordan did. Instead of the basketball shoe market remaining boring and bland with all white basketball shoes, Nike and Michael Jordan gave the market a breath of fresh air. Players in the NBA can now wear whatever shoe, with whatever color that they may want to wear. This is all attributed to Nike and Michael Jordan. In my opinion, the multi-million dollar basketball shoe industry began when Michael Jordan stepped onto the courts with the Air Jordan I’s. Basketball shoes were once in a dictatorship, but are now in a democracy.