The Unwritten Rules of Being a Sneakerhead

Sneakerheads try to abide by certain rules, self-imposed ones for the most part. You might not resell or wear fakes, others vow to aid their spending habits, attempting to never spend over a certain amount on a pair of kicks. Or maybe you've pledged to never cop anything pre-loved.

Aside from those there's also blanket rules that everyone participating within the sneaker subculture like to follow. These ones are unwritten – until now that is – and are usually just general knowledge tidbits that you can pick up along your journey, or rather, from this insider's guide.

Don’t Mismatch Sneaker Brands

Whether you have to match your socks to sneakers is a never-ending argument. It’s a pretty controversial topic within the sneakersphere but, in our opinion, mismatching is a big no-no. Wearing, for example, a pair of Air Max 90s with adidas-branded socks isn’t easy on the eyes. Opt for the double Swoosh instead, or just choose socks with no branding.

Re-Lace Your Shoes

Once said by a ritualistic SF writer, 'Factory lacing is just that: the default way the laces are threaded through the shoes in the factory.’ That means that whoever is lacing up newly copped shoes in the factory, won’t be as caring as, say, the sneakerhead receiving them. So, whenever you receive a new pair, take the time to re-lace.

Buy What You Like

This is one of the biggest unwritten rules there is, but it’s pretty self-explanatory: just buy what you like and don’t let others (or hype) dictate your spending habits. You also shouldn't think that a sneaker's original purpose has to stop you from copping it! Plenty of people wear Jays and never hit the hardwood or rock Salomons and never go hiking. The same applies to Nike SB, you don’t have to know how to tre flip to rock SBs.

The main reason we feel this rule is necessary to mention is because if you’re buying stuff you don’t necessarily enjoy because of hype or other factors, you’ll never truly be satisfied with your collection.

Don’t Wear Fakes

Replicas and fakes are extremely prevalent within the modern day sneaker age. There are reddit threads, social media pages and groups entirely dedicated to selling reps, counterfeiting creps and talking about fakes. But, while it’s become somewhat accepted by a minority in the community, it’s a very whack practice and is banned among the majority.

Don’t Wear Mids

Ah yes, wearing Mid-tops. It’s been debated heavily as of late, especially since Michael Jordan himself was spotted rocking Air Jordan 1 Mids. Despite that, we avoid. But then again, we did just say another rule was buy what you like...

There’s Always Someone Who Knows More

No matter how much you think you know about sneakers, there’s always someone else who knows more than you. This isn't necessarily a rule, but just something to remember. We’ve all been caught in that situation when you’re about to drop a knowledge bomb and then someone else corrects you. At the end of the day, you just gotta stay humble and don't let your kicks go to your head!