Sneakerheads queue for shoes

A new breed of footwear enthusiasts known as "sneakerheads" are proving they have staying power. The subculture of shoe lovers is happy to lose sleep, go hungry and empty its wallets for its feet.

So, when sneakerheads swarmed into the bottom level of CBD shoe shop Loaded one midnight in June, the assistant manager, Cale Baker, had only one thought running through his mind: game time.

They were stationed in folding chairs, covered in blankets and showing off their nicest kicks, as they queued outside the High St store for a chance, not a guarantee, to buy a pair of exclusive sneakers. The Air Yeezy II - a collaboration between Nike and controversial rapper Kanye West - had fans lining up at 5.30am on a recent Saturday for the first worldwide in-store release of the shoes.

As ordered by Nike, the store held a raffle limited to the first 80 people in line. Tickets were free, but only 12 lucky winners' names would be drawn. They'd have the chance to grab a pair for $400 - reasonable compared to listings on Trade Me and eBay where the shoes fetch $2000 and more.

Many sneakerheads, mostly male, aged 18-25, disregarded the price tag for a chance to add a unique shoe to their collections.

"I've never experienced anything like that before, especially the hype around it," says Cale. "The raffle does provide hype, so the feeling of anticipation and anxiety of being able to win a pair is like getting your exam results."

Gavin and Tiana Lyes staged a co-operative effort to maintain their stamina in the long stretch to the raffle. After reserving Gavin's spot in line, 29-year-old Tiana supplied her husband with a chair, food and other necessities.

By the time Gavin got into the store, there was only a size 12 pair left for his size 10 feet. Many who queued for 16 hours did so so they could resell the sneakers. Not so Gavin and Tiana.

"If we have kids and my son ends up being a size 12, I've got a rad pair of original sneakers to give him," the 30-year-old says. "We'd never buy a piece of art we didn't like, and we'd never buy a pair of sneakers we didn't like."

For each of the 12 winners, dozens of unfortunate sneakerheads, like Adam Bunkall from Auckland, left the store empty-handed.

"It was a shame to miss out, but I still enjoyed getting to know the other people who were waiting in line and seeing the different kicks they have on," Adam, 23, says.

"You can probably ask a sneakerhead or anyone in the sneaker game what the first thing they look at on a person is and it's their shoes," says Cale. "From their shoes you can judge the type of person they are."

"It's not a great suit or beautiful pair of high heels that you'd wear in a working environment as an adult," Tiana says. "You're going back to the coolest time of your life because they made you happy and made you feel really good."

The Kanye West influence

The Air Yeezy II is the second collaboration between Nike and the rapper considered a style icon. West's followers tweet his every clothing change at @dresslikekanye and there's a dresslikekanyewest.com site, dedicated to spotting what he wears.

Missed out

Logan Zimmerman, an American doing an internship at The Aucklander was in the queue for eight hours, and was one of the 80 in the raffle. He missed out.

"Even after travelling half way around the world, it was clear my sneaker obsession wasn't going to be left behind. I may have missed out on my chance to own one of the most exclusive pair of sneakers, but I still have an unforgettable experience to take back to the States."

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