They go down like clockwork. Almost every other week, a sneaker convention pops up, and it brings flocks of sneakerheads and droves of teenagers that come to buy, sell, and trade their sneakers. But on their quest to obtain their grails, they have to dodge much more than the booming sound systems, crowded expo centers, and literal heat that envelops these events—they have to make sure they don't come-up on a pair of fakes.
There's nothing that can plague a sneaker convention's reputation more than being known for selling fakes, and the people who run these shows have to be the guardians to protect their businesses and the attendees from getting duped. "I don't think we've had a big problem with fakes," said Dino Hatfield, one of the men responsible for Baltimore Sneaker Show. And there's a reason why Hatfield and his show have been able to steer clear of fakes: He personally advocates against them.
"You want to know why I think we've had no big problems with vendors selling fakes? Me and my partner bash fakes everyday," Hatfield explained. "We expose people everyday, and that's why we don't have a problem like, take for instance, Sneaker Con, who could have a table completely full of fakes."
And Hatfield isn't wrong; Sneaker Con, like other sneaker events, has had fake sneakers pop up on occasion. But it's taking preventative measures to make sure they don't get sold. "A few weeks ago in New York, there was a guy who had nothing but fakes on his table," said Ray Cruz, one of the guys behind Sneaker Con's Authenticated table, a service that gives the show's stamp of approval on 100-percent real kicks. "He had a table full of stuff like Oregon IIIs and it was all fake. We had to make him take it down, because we're trying to protect the people."
Sneaker Con, however, is trying its hardest to weed out fake sneakers that may have already been purchased or sold. "We’re getting fake sneakers, so we can compare them to the real ones. We’re trying to educate people," Cruz said.
We’re getting fake sneakers, so we can compare them to the real ones. We’re trying to educate people.
But making sure a sneaker convention is free of fakes goes far beyond checking sneakers that are bought or traded, it starts with the vendors that are brought into the event—which is nearly a full-time job in its own right. "I spend a lot of time going out to different countries, bringing vendors back just to make sure that when people come to the event, they’re actually getting their ticket's worth," said Morgan Weekes, who has been working with UK sneaker show Crepe City since 2011.
This expertise and dedication is what helps eliminate fakes from showing up. "We live and breathe sneaker culture, I know every fake Jordan, every fake Air Max. We have qualified sneaker checkers that work for Nike," Weekes said. "I don’t want to have fakes here. It can literally kill an event."
Nobody wants to go to an event where they know there's going to be fake sneakers. And with the prevalence of social media within the sneaker community, word of fakes can spread quick. If someone gets burned or sees something fishy, all they have to do is send off a tweet or put it on Instagram, and before you know it, everyone can know about an incident.
So these sneaker conventions have to look out for themselves, but they're still in it for the people who keep city after city visited by tables of Jordans, ASICS collaborations, and deadstock pairs from the past: the attendees. "We’re not about to let you just get over on a customer like that," Hatfield said. "There’s a lot of people that come to these shows that don’t know much about authenticating sneakers. They may not know anything about it."
With shows trying their hardest to eradicate vendors selling fakes, there's still the likelihood that someone could wander into the venue with non-authentic sneakers in tow. "The only time I can remember having a fake pair, we had a kid bring a pair of fake Yeezys to trade people," Weekes said. "I had to go up to him and say, 'Look, you can’t trade them here.'"
As adamant as Weekes is about eliminating fake sneakers from his events, he's equal parts passionate about what Crepe City contributes to Europe's sneaker culture. "We’re a place where every sneakerhead in the UK gets together and meets up," Weekes said.
And as long as sneaker conventions can be useful for people to get their hands on after-market sneakers—or trainers, as in Crepe City's case—they'll continue to travel from city to city, coast to coast. People just need to be aware that no matter how vigilant these expos are with keeping fakes from entering their doors, there's always a pair that can slide through the cracks—so do your homework and know what you're buying.
Matt Welty is an editorial assistant at Complex and he once went on a date to a sneaker convention. You can follow him on Twitter here.
