Writer-Filmmaker A.R. Shaw Documents Cultural Phenomenon
The sneaker culture is an interesting world — one where people covet their shoes like fine jewelry, spend nights sleeping in long lines to buy the latest version of Air Jordans and dish out thousands of dollars for limited edition sneakers. With his stirring novel and revealing documentary, 23, filmmaker and author A.R. Shaw reveals how the cultural phenomenon has evolved and offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of “sneakerheads.” While the book focuses on the coming-of-age of a 15-year-old boy who nearly loses his life in the quest for a pair of new Jordans, the documentary uncovers the cultural craze surrounding sneakers. Ro sat down with the 27-year-old Atlanta native to discuss the book, the documentary and the world that is 23. jacinta howard
In the book, 23, the story gets dark, but you still keep it hopeful. Was that deliberate?
I wanted to take the readers into an extreme situation with the character to show a lot of conflict, but show that there is hope. You can go through trials and tribulations and come out on the other side.
What was the inspiration for the documentary?
I wanted to highlight the sneaker culture and how it all started. Before Michael Jordan, there wasn’t a sneaker culture, before the Air Jordans there wasn’t …
What about Converse?
[Laughing] Well, you had Converse, but it wasn’t like people were like, ‘I got to have this.’ When Jordans came out you had a movement of people spending the night in line just to get the shoes. The documentary gives you the basics of how Nike had this ingenious marketing plan where they were able to take something as simple as a basketball shoe and [create] a demand that was unheard of.
Has the sneakerhead culture really expanded beyond just Jordans though?
Oh yeah, it’s still going strong. You got people all the around the world who collect shoes and they live for that. I was talking to Jay Corbin at ESPN and he said he’d rather have 30 pairs of shoes than a Benz. It’s crazy, but it’s something that people really like. I just wanted to highlight that culture and let people know what’s going on.
What was the most surprising thing that you learned while doing research for the book and documentary?
Probably the price. We have a couple of shoes in the documentary that go for $4,000–$5,000.
Wow.
Yeah, so these guys are serious about it. They pay top dollar for a pair of sneakers.
