KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — This weekend — SneakerLAH — the largest sneaker convention in Malaysia is being held at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre. In its fourth and biggest-ever edition, this is a one-stop paradise for sneaker and streetwear enthusiasts. So who’s Bryan Chin, 32, the guy behind this much-anticipated annual get-together?
Though born in Sarawak, Bryan has been all around Malaysia as his father was a missionary pastor. When he turned six, the family settled down in KL.
SneakerLAH founder Bryan Chin talks about the fast moving sneaker scene in Malaysia. Do check out his pair of adidas Yeezy BOOST 700 that was just released in September!
Growing up, Bryan admits to being the typical rebellious pastor’s offspring. "I was my parents’ nightmare for a long time. I am quite good at talking so majority of the time, I talked my way and got my way. Ok-lah, I pandai bodek,” he said.
When he turned 21, he scored his first pair of New Balance sneakers — a birthday gift from his parents. Since then, he’s been hooked. The first pair of sneakers he bought with his own money was also New Balance. Slowly he moved to Jordans and other stuff.
There will be skateboarding competitions and demonstrations at this indoor mini ramp
His gift for the gab saw Bryan making money as a real estate agent for three years. But one day to his mother’s horror, he threw in the towel for a job in a small (think 400 square feet!) sneaker shop called Showroom in Berjaya Times Square. "I quit, because cliché enough...money cannot buy you happiness.”
During his free time, he started a blog about sneakers. Fast forward five years and it’s become a media agency dealing with sneakers; from promoting, public relations, social media to event management like SneakerLAH "When you understand the culture well, brands want a piece of your mind,” he explained.
That wealth of knowledge requires a lot of ground work. Bryan keeps abreast by joining the sneakers and streetwear chat groups. Or just talking to sneakerheads.
"They will tell you what is wrong, what they don’t like about the shoe or what they don’t like about a brand. These are the kind of information that brands will not get unless they hire sneakerheads.”
He labels it as human behaviour... understanding and interpreting what people want. Most of those who buy sneakers are also very young, around 17 to 18, requiring getting to know them on a different wavelength.
The trading pit is where attendees can auction and trade coveted pair of sneakers
RAWWGH and his crew will be at SneakerLAH to snap pictures of your #OOTD (left). Expect everyone to show off their streetwear and sneakers during the convention (right)
Nowadays, people involved in the sneaker scene are incredibly serious about the trading aspect... just like a stock market. There’s even an app to work out your shoe portfolio value!
"You know it’s serious when it reaches this level,” said Bryan. In terms of monetary values, Bryan explains that you will need to fork out RM5,000 to RM6,000 for a pair of hyped sneakers on the trade market. If you can wait one to two years, that pair can shoot up in value to a whopping RM7,000!
In the beginning, SneakerLAH started out as an event for Bryan’s client, a sneaker shop known as Hundred% in Lot 10. "When we first started out, it wasn’t meant to be the biggest. It was just something for the community.”
Sneakers and more sneakers will be on show, in all their glory
Trading pit participants showing off their pair of sneakers
He planned for 10 booths for sneaker lovers to trade and sell their kicks. Once word got out on social media about the event, it exploded to 40 booths! After 48 hours of not sleeping and juggling with issues like no electricity, they chalked up a whopping 17,000 participants for the one-day event that spanned a few floors in the shopping mall.
"It was actually a fluke. We then realised we shouldn’t take it so lightly.” It’s not the first sneaker convention, Bryan explained, as before SneakerLAH, there was Kicks On. He added, "There was a two to three year gap but when we did it, everyone wanted a piece of it.”
The second edition at Kenanga Mall saw an attendance of 20,000 people. Realising he couldn’t handle it all on his own, he decided to partner with Future Sound Asia.
If you love sneakers or just want to explore the sneaker culture, drop by to check out the various booths
Last year’s event saw various exhibitions of shoes, this year expect to see Malaysia’s biggest Supreme collection
Nowadays, Bryan will come up with the content, while his partners will handle the event production and management. Last year, they took up 28,000 square feet at KL Convention Centre with 25,000 attendees.
This year, it has gone up to a whopping 60,000 square feet at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre. The theme is all about the board game, Monopoly. Bryan believes the game is exactly the same as the sneaker culture of buy, trade and sell.
Instead of properties, they trade sneakers instead. Joining them as sponsors are companies like Vespa and AirAsia. The airline is a new entrant to the sneaker game, giving free tickets to Japan where the sneaker culture is incredibly popular. You can also buy various brands, merchandising, music and so forth. This year, they have also introduced F&B stalls.
Catch the action at the skateboarding events
Get lucky at SneakerLAH and you may walk away with a new Vespa or even an airline ticket to Japan
Even before this convention is over, Bryan is already thinking of next year’s event. "Next year it’s not just about being big, the focus will be its content.”
His idea is attendees will get to experience and learn more about sneakers.
His pitch to the brands would be, "Don’t focus on sales, I think sales is good but for sales to happen, there has to be an affinity to the brand. People need to understand and know... then you are emotionally attached.”
The House of Vans will hold a workshop on sneakers
The Off-White™ x Nike Air Max 90 by legendary designer Virgil Abloh
His rationale for this shift in perspective arises from how the sneaker world has also changed. About five to eight years ago, scoring a pair of rare sneakers was incredibly hard. You had to be "in the know” with people, relying on connections.
"Right now, it’s all about money,” he explained. Even how sneakers and streetwear is worn, is an entirely new ballgame. "Those days, you got into sneakers and streetwear to be different. Nowadays, everyone wears it to be in the club.”
According to Bryan, the sense of respect for other sneakerheads has vanished. Previously, wearing a brand you like, would signify that they share a common interest. Nowadays, it just signifies that the person is just rich to score a coveted brand.
A pair of Adidas UltraBOOST given an IKEA-themed custom by edmondlooi
You can oooh and aah over hyped pair of sneakers like this one from Virgil Abloh
Disgusted, sneakerheads prefer to walk away from wearing that same brand. With events like SneakerLAH, where everyone gets together on ground rather than just the chat groups, he hopes this will reduce this rising animosity.
"When you’re hiding behind the screen, it’s easy to say anything... to be a keyboard warrior. When you have more events, you will meet up and that’s where the community starts.”
With brands introducing new shoes and celebrity endorsements everywhere, the sneaker world is evolving at a very fast pace. It’s become a race to get the most hyped up pair of sneakers. Bryan cautions that it’s not just about following the hype.
The KAWS x Air Jordan IV Black which everyone secretly covets
Showing off the Nike Air Jordan 1 High The Return White/Black-Soar Blue
For those who are new to the sneaker scene, his advice is to pick the kind of look that suits them. Some shoes like the coveted Yeezy brand also needs a certain dress sense to mimic Kanye West. "You got to be selective with what you wear. It may be hype. It may look good as a shoe but on you, it doesn’t look so nice, so don’t buy it.” Most importantly, he added, "You got to wear the brand. Not the brand wear you. It’s two different things.”
With many sneakerheads showing off they can score the most hyped pair of sneakers using money, Bryan hopes that people will chill and focus instead on knowledge, friendship and the sense of community, which is so much more fun.
Walk around the booths to see coveted pair of sneakers from various collectors
"Yes, sneakers is a materialistic thing that brought us together. Don’t focus on what people have, focus instead on what money cannot buy... our love and passion for sneakers. The friendship. The bond. That is the pot of gold.”
SneakerLAH
Mid Valley Exhibition Centre
Open: 12pm to 9pm for Sunday, October 7
Entry fee is RM20 at the door
Website: https://www.sneakerlah.com
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