美国国家公共电台 NPR They Dress From The Bottom Up: Sneakerheads Converge In D.C.

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We're going to switch gears now and talk about a subject of utmost importance to some of us. That would be shoes. And sneaker heads already know this - some of the most coveted¹ sneaker releases and collaborations - Jordans, Yeezys, LeBrons, - often do not make it onto someone's feet without passing through a reseller first. These days, a lot of that reselling happens online or through informal social media groups. But for many, an important marketplace is Sneaker Con³. This weekend, the convention stopped in the nation's capital on its world tour. And NPR's Mayowa Aina jumped in, feet first.

MAYOWA AINA, BYLINE⁴: A line stretches down the hall, up the stairs and out the door at a convention center in Washington, D.C. The sound of an event organizer echoes throughout the space.

UNIDENTIFIED EVENT ORGANIZER: No fakes. If we catch you selling fakes, you're getting kicked out - embarrassment⁵.

AINA: He's yelling at a bunch of people waiting to get into Sneaker Con, an event that is exactly what it sounds like.

AINA: Everybody's out here buying sneakers, trading sneakers, every sneaker that you can imagine.

TAMIKA JERET: Everything that you can imagine.

AINA: That's Tamika Jeret. She's a stylish⁶ Baltimore native wearing a pair of black and white checkered⁷ Nike Cortez platform sneakers. Those retail⁸ for $390. It's her first time at Sneaker Con, but as a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, she's excited by what she sees.

JERET: Exclusives, some that you haven't seen in years. Everything's here. For a sneaker fan, this is the place to be.

AINA: Organizers were expecting more than 10,000 people from all over the country to come buy, sell and trade at Sneaker Con. Vendors⁹ have set up tables and brought hundreds of pairs of shoes to sell. But many just walk around with a couple pairs in hand, looking to trade or sell to a willing buyer. Most of the action - the bargaining and the haggling¹⁰ - is happening in the trading pit. That's where 18-year-old Lateef Ambali is set up.

LATEEF AMBALI: Two eighty, bro. Come on.

AINA: He says he started buying and reselling shoes when he was around 13 years old.

AMBALI: I was asking my mom and dad to buy me sneakers. You know, sometimes they'll say no. So, you know, I had to find a way to get them myself.

AINA: When he figured out that he could resell his shoes for a profit then buy more shoes and resell those, he quickly turned his hobby into a business. One of his most memorable¹¹ flips¹³ were a pair of Jordan 1 UNC Off-Whites, white and powder blue shoes made in collaboration² with fashion designer Virgil Abloh. They retail for $190.

AMBALI: Then I sold them on StockX for like 1,500.

AINA: That's not the norm for every flip¹², but it is possible. And that's part of the reason why people get into it. Even though commerce is essential activity at the event, Yuming Wu, One of the co-founders of Sneaker Con, says they started the event to support sneaker culture.

YUMING WU: There's not a huge difference in terms of, you know, a sneakerhead in Melbourne, Australia. They're as interested in Nikes, Jordans, Yeezys as much as the kid in Phoenix¹⁴, Ariz.

AINA: Here in Washington, Ambali says his goal is to make a profit, but it's not just about the money.

AMBALI: I definitely have my own sneaker collection, yeah. My 1s collection go crazy - 18 pairs right now. Definitely not just in it for the resell and the money. I love the game.

AINA: For him and Sneaker Con, the game continues year-round. Next stop - Toronto. Mayowa Aina, NPR News, Washington.

1 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

3 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

6 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

7 checkered   

adj.有方格图案的

参考例句：

• The ground under the trees was checkered with sunlight and shade.林地光影交错。
• He’d had a checkered past in the government.他过去在政界浮沉。

8 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

9 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 haggling   

v.讨价还价( haggle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I left him in the market haggling over the price of a shirt. 我扔下他自己在市场上就一件衬衫讨价还价。
• Some were haggling loudly with traders as they hawked their wares. 有些人正在大声同兜售货物的商贩讲价钱。 来自辞典例句

11 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

12 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

13 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

14 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。