Sneaker Freaker Magazine Issue 46 TN Copycats,Bootleg and Lawsuits

Niche collectors can be as scarce as the unicorns they chase, but we managed to hunt down three exemplars for #46. Simply B delivers a straight-up account as a lynchpin of the women’s sneaker community in sunny Miami. Expect exclamations of ‘I remember those!’ as Brooklyn-bred Chris Rosario lives out his 1990s hoop dreams. And thirdly, another kind of rare beast has been spotted in Shanghai: one of the last BAPE foot soldiers left in the wild, who goes by the name Patrick Pan.

On the topic of those notorious candy-coloured ‘homage’ sneakers, get comfortable before diving into our 7000-word dissection of the Wild West that is trademark protection (or lack thereof) in the sneakersphere. This fascinating look at the land of lawsuits – represented by a flagrantly fake Air Max Plus – bares all on the glossy, tabloid-esque cover of our latest print project.

While the question of real versus fake remains debated, a bona fide headache has been the stream of seasonal product slowing to a trickle. The Suez Canal wasn’t the only channel blocking logistics – read up on the latest challenges yanking on the supply chain inside the new mag.

Thankfully, there were still a fair few heaters that made it onto store shelves and the pages of Issue 46. Patta’s latest Air Max 1 highlights the second front cover, while Salehe Bembury reaches peak clog. We also take an inquisitive look at how Li-Ning, Timberland and PUMA are each making their mark with futurism, green strides and the power of three, respectively.