Sneaker Con is making its way to Asia for the first time this Saturday (Aug 26) in Hong Kong, with an expected crowd made up of sneaker lovers from all around the region, including China, Japan, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Prior to Sneaker Con’s big entrance in Asia, we caught up with its co-founder Yu-Ming Wu. In the world of sneakers, the man needs no introduction, having established world renowned brands in media (Sneaker News), retail (Stadium Goods) and events (Sneaker Con). Described by Complex as one of the world’s top 25 most influential people in sneakers, we had a lot to ask, and thankfully, the man had a lot to say as well.

At this very moment, what sneakers are you wearing now and what has been your favourite pair so far this year?

Yu-Ming: For this trip to Hong Kong and Melbourne, I brought four pairs of sneakers with me. I am wearing the “Multicolor” Pharrell x adidas Tennis HU today. I also have the “Triple Black” adidas UltraBOOST 3.0, “Japan Pack Grey” adidas NMD and “Shades Of White V2 Pack” Sneakersnstuff x adidas Stan Smith BOOST. Favourite pair of sneakers this year is the “Datamosh” Sneakers n Stuff x adidas NMD.

From balancing your responsibilities at Sneaker News, Sneaker Con and Stadium Goods, how do you find the time to go sneaker shopping or let loose?

YM: I am really lucky to have a lot of friends in the sneaker industry and they have been very generous in sending me sneakers. With sneakers that are hard to get, I’ve generally asked my friends who are managers at sneaker shops to help me facilitate the purchase. Other sneaker shopping has been limited to online shopping unfortunately. I rarely go to physical sneaker stores outside of Stadium Goods. Relaxing for me now is being able to have a quiet moment at home. I also keep a “city” garden with indoor plants, some on my balcony and just started a garden on my roof deck.

Why do you think sneakers has become such a global mainstream phenomenon in recent years and where do you think the trend is heading towards?

YM: A lot of it has to do with the ease of information access globally. When I was thinking of the creation of freshnessmag.com in 2002, blogs and blogging was just created. It was very hard to create a news portal and share information in the early 2000’s. Today, anyone armed with a smartphone can become a powerful media force via social media platforms that are incredibly easy to use. The global population of teens are now armed information at their finger tips. The sneaker industry will continue to penetrate as more teens gain access to this information. If they can’t read sneakernews.com in English, a tech savvy teen can become the Sneaker News of their region. We will see more stylist teens in the smallest corners of the planet.

Sneaker Con is making its way to Asia for the first time ever in Hong Kong. What was the thought process or decision making behind taking the convention halfway across the world?

YM: We’ve learned so much about what makes sneakerheads happy since the founding of Sneaker Con, so we wanted to bring our vision around the globe. We started studying our entry into the global market in June of 2016 with a market research trip to Shanghai. We also used that trip as a company retreat to think about the expansion of the business. Soon after, we began looking at global options and booked our first international event in London this past May and now Hong Kong as our first stop into Asia. Using our large Instagram following, we also discovered a big fan base in Australia, so to bookend our Hong Kong event we decided to hit Melbourne as well. We expect to hit more cities in Asia in 2018.

What can attendees expect at Sneaker Con Hong Kong? Will it differ from previous Sneaker Cons in any way?

YM: Sneaker Con Hong Kong will give us a full survey of what the Asian audience will like in terms of brands and the models of sneakers. We have a vision of how our event works and we’ve brought that to Hong Kong. This includes having a large amount of sneakers available for purchase, encouraging attendees to bring sneakers to sell and trade and the having the space for attendees to engage with others who also share a passion for sneakers. In the United States based events, we generally invite a large number of “Youtubers” to attend and engage with fans. We do not know if there is an appetite for these video influencers in Hong Kong. We also brought NBA star Ray Allen along since basketball is an important sport in Hong Kong and Asia.

Are there any surprises that sneakerheads can look forward to at Sneaker Con Hong Kong that have yet to be announced?

YM: We generally don’t have much of a surprise planned but I think for those who have never been to a Sneaker Con, they will be surprised by the number of people who share a love for sneakers. They will also find the world’s bigger sneaker store for the day.

Are there plans of taking Sneaker Con to other parts of Asia in the years to come? Would Singapore be in contention?

YM: Sneaker Con Asia is definitely going to be in our plans for 2018 and beyond. Yes, Singapore is an important city for us and is in our top 15 list.

Lastly, what’s next for you? Are there any new challenges that you’re looking at taking on in the near future? 

YM: My plate is very full so now it’s a matter of maintaining and continuing the growth of the current businesses. I think the global expansion of each of the businesses will be the biggest challenge. While Sneaker News has global reach there is much opportunity in the global markets for localized content, especially in China.

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Sneaker Con Hong Kong will be held on August 26 at the Asia World Expo, Hong Kong. For more info, head over to sneakercon.com.

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