Union had one of the biggest installations at ComplexCon all weekend. Part of the traffic at the store was because of the release of the "Gold Top 3" Air Jordan 1s. There were huge lines all day, both days, at the shop's booth. In fact, at one point, the crowd got so crazy that they started pushing against the wall, which may have cracked.
Gibbs, the owner of Union, says the Jordan 1s weren't initially part of their release at ComplexCon. "We weren't totally prepared, partially because it came on late," he says. "Secondary, I underestimated the demand and fervor of the Jordan customer. 2,000 kids lined up yesterday. We were just caught off guard and it messed things up."
Union had one of the most impressive installations at the event. Gibbs kept the art gallery theme and collaborated with each brand and designer on a piece of artwork. Jerry Lorenzo, for instance, set up a living room with couches and a painting of Jesus. Rhuigi Villasenor of Rhude had a pile of cigarettes on the floor. But Gibbs says the Jordans overshadowed the rest of their product and the space they set up.
"Of course, we love to have the Jordans, but we have other good product and a regular non-Jordan hooligan that's trying to see some of our other shit," he says. "Obviously, there's other normal Jordan fans, but there are rough guys fucking it up for everything. They almost pushed over our wall. Part of me thought this is contained, in a safe zone. I thought it wasn't going to be like outside. I didn't think it could get out of hand like that, but it did. It's not a critique on Complex because I understand, but it's just an observation."
At the Drop Science panel yesterday, Gibbs said that he's a proponent of sneaker releases having to have lineups. "Lineups have become a business tool," he said. "A lot of these kids are reselling, so I don't feel bad if they wait over night."
