Worldwide Sneakerography: Russia
«кто носит фирму адидас, тому любая баба даст» Translation: "Whoever wears Adidas, any woman will give it to him"
Just a quick shoutout to those who are sending me info about the sneaker scene in their countries…I got A LOT of positive feedback from our first installment of Sneakerography Worldwide, so here we go with our second installment, brought to us by @magazinqueens.ru in Russia (shop here...)
Some background on the column: A short while ago, I was looking around at sneaker social media and asked myself...'why does it all look the same?'
It's almost like a byproduct of living in America...the homogeny. You just kind of take advantage of the fact that we are so ignorant to believe that the American sneaker scene is omniscient. Like...our conversation revolves around us and what we're doing. And...I dunno...the fact that there are quite a few international collectors in my DMs tells me that this thing is so much bigger than us. So in the words of Michael Jordan: 'I took offense to that'.
I've had the opportunity to do a bit of traveling, and I'm constantly amazed at the regional differences that exist between sneakerheads. As a kid, I found it supremely frustrating that I had to ask my parents to drive a half hour or more for me to find a cool pair of shoes. As a kid, I found it frustrating that everything I saw in The Source and Slam Magazine was virtually inaccessible to me in the mountains of Northern California.
And now that the internet has made nearly everything available to everyone on the world...it made me think of the people in those places that choose to participate in sneaker culture, whether that be prefaced with 'American...' or not.
So I reached out to a bunch of people in international cities who volunteered...I wanted to hear about 'sneaker culture' in their world.
Let’s give it up for Nikolay Volkov, the man behind @magazinqueens.ru
Introduction:
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your involvement in the sneaker culture in Russia?
My name is Nikolay, I’m 37, I was born and raised in Russia in the city of Samara, since I was a teenager I became interested in hip-hop, and immediately fell in love with wide pants, sweatshirts with a large hood and sneakers, I still dress like that.
Since the 2000s, my friend Eugene Diza and I have been making bootleg cds of rap albums for sale, and in 2008 we decided to open a hip-hop store, sneakers had become a big market by this time, this did not bypass Russia.
Large companies began to open their offices in Moscow and we began to cooperate with them and develop brands in our region.
Local Influence:
How would you describe the overall sneaker culture in Russia? Are there specific local influences that stand out?
The main difference is the cold winter, which takes up half the year, otherwise everything is the same as everywhere else. Аlthough, in the last 2-3 years there has been a strong development of the fake market due to the departure of all the big brands.
Favorite Brands:
What are the most popular or preferred sneaker brands in Russia? Are there any local brands that have a significant presence?
In my opinion, the most popular are Nike and Jordan, Adidas and Puma are a little tired. From the 80-90s, adidas was produced in 5 factories in the vast expanses of the USSR and after the collapse in Russia, Georgia and Ukraine, some of the production facilities are still functioning, but that’s another story. There is also now a brand called Два Мяча (two balls) that produces Keds, but they are produced in China.
Buying Habits:
How do sneakerheads in Russia typically acquire their sneakers? Are there preferred retail channels or marketplaces?
I believe that young people now buy more online, despite the abundance of fakes even on large platforms, marketplaces have developed strongly. But we still prefer in store face-to-face sales.
Trends and Styles:
Are there specific sneaker styles or trends that are particularly popular in Russia? How do these differ from global trends?
I think that everything is like everywhere else, not so long ago it was not easy to sell Jordan 4, now they have replaced Jordan 1 at the peak of popularity.
Same thing with adidas samba and puma Mostro.
Influencers from Instagram set trends, perhaps they come to Russia with a slight delay after adaptation into Russian language.
Community and Events:
How do sneaker enthusiasts in Russia connect with each other? Are there community events, meet-ups, or online forums that are widely used?
Before the pandemic and the special military operation [war with Ukraine], the main meetings took place in Moscow at festivals like ‘Faces and Laces’. Nowadays the main communication takes place through social networks like Instagram, Telegram and VK. Publications like kickspaper, firstsoup and smaller. And english as well like nice kicks and other.
Collecting Habits:
Do sneakerheads in Russia have unique collecting habits or preferences? For example, do they focus on certain collaborations, limited editions, or vintage sneakers?
Yes there is, now I’m finishing editing an interview with Sergei @veter032 who has the world’s largest collection of Saucony. I recently came across a guy who has Freddy Kruegers, vlons af1 and other heavyheaters in his collection. The other guy from N-Novgorod own a pair of wu-tang dunks.
Some people specialized on sb dunks or air maxes or adidas city series.
Cultural Influences:
How does the overall culture and lifestyle of Russia influence the sneaker choices and preferences of enthusiasts?
It’s hard to say, but to this day there is an expression among older people:
«кто носит фирму адидас, тому любая баба даст» that means “whoever wears Adidas, any woman will give it to him.” Adidas was an integral part of the tough guy style in 80’s. I also found a large article on two spreads about Nike in the popular youth magazine America from 1983, but so far I have not met a Nike or Jordan fan from USSR.
Collaborations with Local Artists:
Are there collaborations between sneaker brands and local artists or designers that are notable in Russia?
The most popular collaborations outside of Russia have become Saucony Anteater x Jazz Original 'Sea & Sand' (they have 3 collaborations) + two pairs with Saint Petersburg retail Babochka. Onitsuka, reebok and lacoste collaborated with Fott (store is closed already) also reebok made collab with ‘Faces and Laces’. Puma and SMF (very famous Russian cartoon), and recent collab onitsuka and brandshop which the Japanese remain silent because of a special military operation [war with Ukraine]. I think thats all official collaborations.
Artemi Lebedev could became the first Nike collaborator but loose his 1 place to Sean Wotherspoon.
Sneakerhead Language:
Are there specific terms or slang used by sneaker enthusiasts in Russia? How does the language of sneaker culture differ locally?
Only the word comes to mind is Паль (pal’) which means fake. And before the advent of competent stores like ours, people called Swoosh - snot.
Challenges and Hurdles:
What challenges or obstacles do sneakerheads in Russia face, whether related to availability, pricing, or other factors?
The main problem now is the price of the dollar, in 2013 it cost 36 rubles and it was considered expensive, now it costs almost 100 rubles. Prices have increased significantly, making the original branded sneakers unaffordable for most ordinary workers and their children. Direct delivery from stores in the USA and Europe also became unavailable, which also increased the cost even more. And, the counterfeit market is forcing people to say ‘why overpay if it’s the same thing but cheaper.’
Innovation and Technology:
How do sneaker technologies and innovations impact the choices of sneaker enthusiasts in Russia?
Maybe this affects professional athletes, but in my circle people wear sneakers from the 80s and 90s. The last technologies that affected me were flyknit and maybe boost.
Social Media Presence:
How influential is social media in shaping and showcasing the sneaker culture in Russia? Are there specific platforms that dominate?
I already answered a similar question, I’ll just add, social networks have a strong influence, but I’m a pro in this industry, I follow people from underground and it just annoying to me when I scroll through my feed and see exactly the same news from public pages with millions of followers again and again. Thats why I follow you [@thesneakersavant] and reacting on your thoughts.
Cultural Traditions:
Are there any cultural traditions or rituals related to sneaker culture in Russia that might be unique or interesting?
The main purely Russian habit is to wear skinny pants with an elastic band and low sneakers with low socks in winter, so that the frozen burgundy skin between them can be seen
The second one is when grannies buy sneakers for my grandsons to grow a couple of sizes larger, they lace it tightly and it turns out to be a bowling pin shoes.
The third is when people see bright tacky sneakers and say wow, what cool sneakers, do you have the same one but black on black?
Future Trends:
Where do you see the future of the sneaker culture in Russia heading? Are there emerging trends or shifts in preferences?
Definitely, after all the large companies left Russia, a lot of space was freed up for decisive action [war with Ukraine], but it is already noticeable how this space is being filled with Chinese brands and Turkish businessmen are returning American brands back to supposedly official stores but with a different name. So I don’t see any shifts, it will be pretty the same as it was.
I loved reading these answers and looking through these pictures *so* much. It’s great to hear about the different types of inside jokes from culture to culture because I can totally *feel* it. Burgundy ankles? Yeah that’s an image burned in my brain from now on.
Once again, I’d like to thank Nikolay Volkov for sharing his experience with us and DON’T FORGET TO hit that follow button on @magazinqueens.ru ..feel free to forward this on to anyone you think might find this interesting (or would also be a great subject for an installment of Worldwide Sneakerography!)
(FYI - I am going to turn off new signups to this weekly publication starting March 31st. After that point, I will be charging for new signups. )