When Sneaker Releases Go Wrong

We've all seen the videos of people going wild for deals on Black Friday, but little do most people know that this kind of chaos happens all year round with sneaker releases. Here's when sneaker releases go wrong.

Bape Adidas NMD On Feet
Adidas

Image via Adidas

Bape Adidas NMD On Feet

Releasing coveted sneakers isn't easy. When brands create limited designs that drive up hype, problems at the physical launches of those shoes will almost certainly follow. It's gotten ugly at times: People have been punched, stabbed, and shot at releases. What are the sneakers causing this kind of chaos?

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If there's one shoe known for causing madness it's the yearly Air Jordan 11 that usually arrives in December. Pairs like the 'Space Jam' from 2009 resulted in crazy lineups—and even the occasional stampede—in malls, a trend that would continue for years.

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For the most part, those problems around Air Jordan 11's are a thing of the past. How did this happen? Jordan Brand started making more of the sneakers, signaling that people wouldn't have to worry about getting their hands on a pair. Take last year's 'Win Like '96' colorway, for example: The shoe arrived without any notable news stories of fights or mayhem.

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One of the more unique hype-inducing Jordans was the 'Banned' Jordan 1 from 2011, which released only at outlets. Because of that, stores usually not equipped to handle rabid crowds saw scenes like the one here—with sneakerheads scrambling under a gate to line up first.

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This sneaker took things to another level. In Orlando, 100 cops clad in riot gear were summoned to get 1,000 eager shoppers trying to purchase the limited shoe under control. The stress it caused is reflected in its resell price—the 2012 sneaker can go for $2,000 now.

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When Supreme tried to release its duo of collab Foamposites in 2014, things got hectic. People filled the sidewalk on both sides of the store's New York City location, causing congestion that was unprecedented for Supreme at that point. Because of these sneakers, Supreme now only sells its Nikes online in the U.S.

Yes, people are willing to fight over sneakers they can't even fit into. The white and pink Air Jordan 12 from 2016 caused a fight at a Champs Sports store in Times Square when it released, the sizable crowd presumably composed largely of resellers.

Remember when people were this crazy over the Adidas NMD? A release for a batch of the sneakers in Taiwan caused total madness, as seen in the video here. The irony is that the NMD has since become a less coveted and much more available shoe.

Unfortunately, the 2016 Bape x Adidas NMDs were so sought after that they caused at least one massive fight. It's scenes like these, from a release for the shoes in Vancouver, that have encouraged brands to find an alternative to traditional lineups.

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While Nike LeBrons don't cause too much commotion these days, the 'Out of Nowhere' pair of LeBron 14s from last year did at one Foot Locker. The store will often release shoes like this via its app, but instead used a first-come, first-served approach here. Fights broke out, and the store didn't even get the shoes in the end.

At this 2017 release of the 'Zebra' Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2, a shopper was attacked after allegedly cheating the release system to acquire around 80 pairs of the limited shoes. Police eventually arrived and escorted the victim out.

When this fight broke out over the Pharrell NMDs at Concepts in New York City, Adidas had to do something. The brand canceled sales of the sneakers at physical stores in the city that day, a precaution against further violence.

It turns out these sneakers attract this kind of attention. At a release for another batch of Pharrell x Adidas NMDs about a month ago in Singapore, shoppers yelled at each other as security attempted to intervene.

It seems that as long as there are limited sneakers, there will be messy releases to go with them. Brands are getting better at regulating this kind of madness, but it's still going on in 2018. This clip from the release of the Levi's x Air Jordan 4 in January in New York City proves that.

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