Sneaker Fest is a festival founded in 2020 by Ikemesit Nkereuwem- Tim popularly known as Badblood28. The now yearly event began in 2020, driven by the foresight of its founder, a seasoned sneaker collector, who recognized the need for an event and a community that celebrates sneakerheads, athletes, youth, creatives, and more across Nigeria and Africa.
The core values of Sneaker Fest are to celebrate, empower, and most importantly, promote sneaker culture in Nigeria and Africa. Ikemesit Nkereuwem and his team have made Sneaker Fest a staple event that sneaker fanatics and youth eagerly look forward to each year. The event, first premiered in 2020 with over 700 participants in attendance, welcomed youths, creatives, athletes, celebrities, and various enterprises that contributed to the event’s success. Sneaker Fest featured a series of attractions that uncovered the existence of a sneaker community in Nigeria, providing a space to learn about the culture of sneaker collecting and offering enthusiasts the chance to interact with authentic sneakers in real-time. It also created an opportunity for attendees to connect with like-minded individuals who think of sneakers beyond mere footwear. The event, which invests heavily in giving out sneakers to further ignite a passion for the culture, has distributed over 100 pairs of sneakers, including grails like the Air Jordan 6 Retro 2019 “Doernbecher”.
The culture of sneakers or sneaker culture as it is commonly referred to, is an existent part of various communities around the world. In simple terms, it relates to the value individuals place on a pair of sneakers. This has progressively influenced the growth of the footwear industry, providing avenues for youths to thrive and express their creativity across different areas. It has also fostered the adoption of sneaker culture in Nigeria.
Before the year 2020, the sneaker scene in Nigeria wasn’t as vibrant and connected as we have today. One key reason among many others was the lack of a platform that collectively brought together the various bodies engineering the culture of sneakers in Nigeria. With the emergence of Sneakerfest in 2020, a much-needed platform was created, raising awareness of the culture, fostering connections among sneakerheads, building a sense of community, and providing an avenue for related subcultures and enterprises to thrive.
The festival, which has since its inception continued to raise the standards of its attendees’ expectations, has featured a series of events with its most recent being Sneakerfest2023, which was attended by over 3,000 participants from Nigeria and other African countries. This success underscores Ikemesit’s goal, as stated in an interview with Pulse Nigeria, to consistently surpass the previous year’s attendance and create inclusivity for all sneaker lovers across Africa. The annual events have played a key role in the emergence of sneaker stores and enterprises tailored to creating solutions and providing services that cater to the needs of sneakerheads.
Since 2020, there has been a rise in the number of sneaker stores in Nigeria, which includes luxury sneaker stores from the likes of Reuplane, Urban Jungle, etc., and brand flagship stores belonging to sportswear giants like Nike, Adidas, and Puma across the country. Many of these sneaker stores view Sneaker Fest as a platform to better engage with their customers.
Furthermore, the rise of footwear cleaning and care businesses reflects the growing consciousness people have about their sneakers, with Sneaker Fest serving as a launchpad for such ventures. Undoubtedly, the initiative launched by Ikemesit Nkereuwem and his team is shaping the future of the sneaker space in Nigeria.
They are actively collaborating with other entities to further this cause. There is already talk that Sneaker Fest 2024 is in the pipeline, and it promises to be even more exciting, thanks to the continued partnership with the Lagos State Government and major sponsors like Nike, Urban Jungle, and Pulse.
With that being said, the ongoing impact of Sneakerfest is evident as a catalyst for the rise of what many consider an active sneaker culture in Nigeria.
