In Its 10th Year, Dallas’ Sneakerhead Convention Kixpo Proved That Sick Kicks Are Something That People Of All Ages And Backgrounds Can Appreciate.
On Saturday, Dallas’ annual sneaker fanatic gathering known as Kixpo celebrated its 10th anniversary at Fair Park.
Aside from the longevity of the event showing how committed Dallas is to the culture, the day was a study in how Dallasites like their sneakers colorful, gender-inclusive and family-friendly.
All day long, the Fair Park concessions stadium that hosted the event was packed with sneaker enthusiasts from all walks of life buying and trading from exclusive selections of kicks that you’d rarely find in retail spaces. Perhaps in an effort to keep things orderly, fair and contained, attendees were limited to only bringing three pairs of shoes each, meaning sneakerheads couldn’t arrive by the droves with carts of their unwanted deadstocks.
Outside of the typical marketplace exchanges, the day was filled with special events like a women in sneaker culture panel held by the city’s unofficial First Lady of sneaker culture, DJ sets by DJ Love and DJ Rocit, live painting demos and a shoe-filled vending machine where $5 supposedly got you a chance at some of the hottest kicks of the season.
A quick scan around the room revealed some common trend themes among the city’s sneaker heads — like an affinity for almost anything Adidas and pastel everything, proof that you can’t go wrong with bright colors, and the expected confirmation that Jordans are always a classic. Other elements of Dallas culture that seemed to blend effortlessly with its sneaker affair? Soccer wear, like the Metro Boomin-approved Strike First, and our city’s undying love of Selenas.
After 10 years of welcoming sneakerheads into the fold, it seems as if the collectors who attend Kixpo are getting younger and younger each year, from pockets of young kick aficionados spending their first paychecks and/or their parents’ money on the perfect pair to babies getting iced out by their parents before they can even understand just how exclusive their shows are.
If there was anything to learn from Kixpo ’17, it’s indeed that sneaker culture has truly become everyone’s game.