By Richard Washington
The sneaker community is one of diversity, creativity, and risk-taking. That’s pretty clear when you visit your local sneaker store or boutique. Some have different motivations for making their purchases. Either it’s for personal style, mindless compliance with the status quo, or which shoe has the least damage to the bank account. Outside of the casual shopper who buys for necessity, there are two sub-groups that I’d like to focus on for this discussion. They are sneakerheads and hypebeasts.
These are the needle-movers of the sneaker community. A sneakerhead has a passionate affinity for the story and tapestry underlying a sneaker. Materials used, details, symbolism, and marketing are important criteria in their evaluation of a sneaker. A sneakerhead wants the best product available for the price. They take the time to notice details that make each sneaker unique. Sneakerheads understand that this is a culture and a community. There is an understanding that the genesis of a sneaker is where the real value lies.
A hypebeast buys into the “sizzle” of a sneaker. They are drawn to the status that’s attributed to owning a particular sneaker. It could be that the shoe is limited in availability and to be able to possess that shoe affords them a sense of exclusivity. A variety of things can contribute to the fervor for the shoe, but hypebeasts drive the prices up for sneakers due to their irrational demand for them. That irrationality has its own set of problems that undermine the spirit that is the foundation of the sneaker community.
Complicating matters, narratives evolve with time. Driven by music videos, superior athletic performances, or extravagant red carpet affairs, consumers draw motivation for their sneaker purchases from different places.
Sneakerheads and hypebeasts keep the sneaker community dynamic and interesting. At times it’s impossible to separate the two because they can be the same person depending on the situation. Whether positive or negative, their influence is felt throughout the sneaker community.
ScoopChaser 
But could a hyperbeast be drawn to just the brand alone? If KD went to UnderArmor, I would have to think twice about buying that shoe, but I guess a real sneakerhead would buy it regardless of brand. I feel like there could be a fine line somewhere because loyalty could be in the form of brand as opposed to the person (i.e. Jordan, Lebron, etc)
There are times when there is overlap in motivations for buying a particular sneaker. A hypebeast would buy it just because it’s “hot on the streets.” A sneakerhead would buy it because it calls to them personally.