12 Snapchat Accounts Sneakerheads Should Be Following

Username: jumpman23

​Last summer, Jordan Brand dropped the gauntlet on the rest of their competition by using Snapchat to tell the story behind the unveiling of a new Jordan Brand store in Chicago at 32 South Street. It included behind-the-scenes looks with none other than Michael Jordan himself signing a Chicago arena floorboard. It’s an example of the innovative content that helps separate a brand like this from all of the pretenders. This past spring, they brought the heat again by previewing a number of NBA Playoff player exclusives on the Snap, for everybody from Russell Westbrook to LaMarcus Aldridge to the entire team in Charlotte. 

Username: kustoo

​Kustoo is an absolute must-follow on virtually every social platform if you consider yourself any type of sneaker collector. He’s knowledgeable, well connected within the industry, and offers consistent content on a scale you almost never see from an independent individual. As you can expect, his Snapchat account highlights all of the things that make him such a great follow. His stories feel personal and are the perfect mix of choreographed content and natural, off-the-top coverage you come to expect on Snapchat. Kustoo also does a great job interacting with his followers. At the recent Nike KD 9 unveiling, he actually snapped an entire interview with Kevin Durant while asking questions his followers had provided.

Username: djkhaled305

​The king of the Snap, Khaled knows how to create entertaining stories without going overboard. It’s fascinating, really, how his platform hasn’t lost steam. His personality is engaging, gregarious, and over-the-top without feeling convoluted. When he isn’t dropping major, major keys to making it or allowing you inside his journey to more success, Khaled’s busy showing off the goods, like when he took a break from watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals this year to showcase how the Swoosh laced him with a pair of LeBron’s Soldier 10s. Whenever he does it, he does it in typical Khaled fashion, providing that comedic twist that only he can.

Username: ronniefieg

​One of the sneaker industry’s biggest influencers, Ronnie Fieg has had his hand in many of the most hyped shoe collaborations over the past few years. Through his friendship with NFL wide receiver and all-around style icon Victor Cruz, Fieg’s snaps sometimes can position him as the regular guy who stumbled upon fame. Whether it’s out at parties with celebrity appearances or chilling at a dinner table with his boy Victor, the man behind Kith is certainly an entertaining follow. As for the sneakers, well, safe to say there are very few Snapchatters out there with the wealth of heat that Ronnie Fieg has. 

Username: nikebasketball

​The Swoosh will always be a giant in the room, and a content hub that gets the best access with the best players. Nike gets how to talk to the audience. Their creative minds speak the same language as their followers, and almost every year they create one or two viral marketing campaigns that speak right to the heart of brand loyalty. Naturally, their Snapchat account plays off this quite well, incorporating big names and hyped products, while often letting the talent speak directly to the audience. It’s a formula that works for them. At the aforementioned KD 9 event, Nike gave followers inside access into everything from showcasing Kevin Durant at his alma mater, to detailed shots of the new sneakers. Then for the Cleveland NBA championship parade, they created a custom “Always Believe” LeBron filter to document the proceedings.

Username: footlocker

Since they first launched their Snapchat with Victor Cruz last summer, Foot Locker has been giving us a steady stream of sneaker content. And while many of their stories revolve around new products–this is a retail sneaker store after all–they do have the chops to get creative every now and again. The Snap takes center stage at many of their events, including this year’s NBA Draft Suite with SLAM. As dozens of draft prospects came through to talk shop, Foot Locker gave their followers an exclusive look into what these future stars are like away from the court. These detailed events are what help separate Foot Locker from some of their competitors.

Username: underarmour

​Under Armour might be catching heat throughout the sneaker community for Stephen Curry’s “Chef Curry” travesties, but UA is still winning. The brand recognizes that any publicity is good publicity, especially when you’re talking about a younger audience in 2016. That thinking extends to Snapchat, where UA is consistently lapping the competitors by aligning itself with millennials within the avenues that they congregate in. That was personified by their coverage of the Super Bowl, where UA documented Stephen Curry’s entire trip to the big game, including the sneakers that were on his feet. Under Armour recognizes that it can’t be only about the products. It’s about the stories too.

Username: kimkardashian

​Yes, there are plenty of reasons to follow this account outside of sneakers. Her lavish lifestyle. Her ample assets. Kanye. Say what you want about Kim and her family–Kylie is also a pro at the Snaps–but she rides for her hubbie. Give her a follow and you’ll get a stream of day-in-the-life videos from Kim that’ll detail ordinary things like selfies and workout stories. But the difference for her, outside of the obvious monetary advantages, is that she’s routinely rocking Yeezys. Because of her position, she’ll always be one of the first to reveal new Yeezy product–as she has done in the past–and that alone is enough to warrant a follow.

Username: vans

Obviously, the “Damn Daniel” craze didn’t take place on the official Vans Snapchat, but it’d feel disingenuous if we didn’t mention it here. Vans is killing right now, and we’re not just talking about skater bros. J.R. Smith was rocking some Vans at Cleveland’s championship parade and even celebrity model Gigi Hadid has shown off her joints on the Snap. As with many other handles on this list that are doing it right, follow Vans for a look behind-the-scenes at many of their biggest events, which are often concerts with names like Pusha T and Vince Staples. Vans might play off history quite a bit, but there are few brands who understand the current social market, as well as how to reach a younger audience, better than these folks.

Username: finishline

​All too often retail stores fall into the traps of the game. Yes, we go to their stores because they have a lot of products, but products aren’t necessarily going to build an audience and make you a destination. It’d be easy for a place like Finish Line to jump on Snap and regurgitate the same boring close-ups of shoes that no one really cares about. That’s easy. That’s also lazy. Instead, they’re innovating and experimenting on the Snap. Last summer saw them ask their followers to record freestyle videos and the winner would get a chance to meet Kendrick Lamar and hang out with the acclaimed rapper and his Reebok Ventilators.

Username: KD35

Though Durant has turned steely at times with the media, I’m sure most of you can remember when he was everyone’s darling. Much of that personality is often kept under wraps, however it does come through in his snaps, including the famous Face Swap he pulled off with teammate Russell Westbrook. On Snapchat, Durant doesn’t post all that often, but the Easy Money Sniper has a long history of showcasing his signature sneaker line with Nike on social media. With the KD 9 now officially launched, you can expect to see that shoe featured heavily in Kev’s Snap stories.

Username: adidasoriginals

​Just as their lifestyle products have been garnering all sorts of praise over the past few years, the Snapchat account for adidas Originals is also turning heads. Within this industry, it’s common practice for brands to see their new products leak to the masses before they are really ready with a deft and calculated marketing strategy. Well, this squad is attempting to take back the hype by using their Snapchat stories to unveil products for the first time. It’s not always lame general releases, either. They’re often using major celebrities and entertainers to tease quick shots and previews of upcoming collaborations, and even doing giveaways. Snapchat is perfect for this, in that the content goes away in 24 hours, driving even more hype around these rare sightings.