It's very rare that we have the opportunity to speak to someone like ShanghaiSole . An American guy from Maryland now living out in Shanghai, Jay Shuang has the industry knowledge of both the East and the West, and that's not something that we hear about very often. Amassing around 50k followers over on his Instagram page, he was the first person to break the news that loads of high heats Jordans were just sitting on shelves in China .
Most of our audience comes from the UK and US so we never see anything about the trainer game on the other side of the world. With all that said, we sat down with Jay himself for our latest Under The Influence segment to discuss what got him into sneakers in the first place, his all-time favourite pairs, the industry over in China, and so much more! Whether you're a hardcore footwear veteran or just getting started, this is an interview that you definitely do not want to miss!
To kick things off, can you tell us what got you into sneakers in the first place? I'm an '80s baby, so I've always been a basketball fan growing up. Even living in Taiwan, b-ball was life! Just admiring all the b-ball kicks back then and seeing a new signature drop was super exciting.
Do you remember the first sneaker that you copped ever? The first sneaker I ever fawned over and loved was the Nike Air Max CB '94. My best friends in class had the same pairs and I begged my mom to get me them too so we could all wear them together. It was one of those things where I could lace them and re-lace them, set them nicely before school started and were ready to go right when I woke up.
How many sneakers do you currently own and what’s the rarest pair in your collection?
If you had to get rid of every single pair in your collection except for three, which ones would you keep? I would keep the Air Jordan 1 "Chicago", atmos x Nike Air Max 1 , and the Concepts x Nike SB Dunk High "When Pigs Fly".
What’s the one sneaker that you absolutely need in your collection but haven’t managed to cop yet? This one is tough. To be honest, I haven't felt the urge to go back and pick up old pairs like I used to. One pair I've always looked at is the Air Jordan 1 with the all-black patent leather and gold speckled sole. I've wanted that pair for quite some time now, but they don't have pairs in my size.
Why do you think so many sneakers just sitting over in China? It's really a combination of things. Firstly, resellers have moved onto to different higher priced items instead of shoes. Covid has also affected shipping and instead of product sitting in ships waiting to make it to the USA, they are probably allocating more numbers here which is why some stuff isn't flying as much.
Recently there was a large labor dispute where companies were saying some negative things about China and a lot of the local netizens said to boycott these brands and switch to local brands, Nike was one of these brands that lost a lot of business during this time and still hasn't fully recovered yet. Finally, I think fakes are getting so good now, but I really don't think this is the major reason for product sitting because fakes have always been around.
What's the biggest difference between sneaker industry in the East and in the West? To be honest with you, things are pretty similar. People love Jordan 1s. OGs tend to sell well. Dunks are doing very well, but we don't have a lot of quantity on Dunks currently. We don't have many skate shops so our limited SBs go to those and some flagship stores. Same with New Balance collabs as well, very little stores have allocation for those.
There are loads of Chinese sneaker brands but why do you think Li-Ning was one of the only ones to successfully break the Western market? Well, I think that has to do with exposure and who's endorsing the product. Wade was wearing Li-Ning when he was still playing and still in his peak as well. That was a major shake up in terms of a star athlete choosing a Chinese sneaker brand over Nike, Jordan Brand, and adidas in the prime of their career.
I think Klay is starting to get there with Anta also. I actually love the design of his shoes and the whole product (box, gear, accessories) is all really detailed and looks quality. I used to compare the Chinese sneaker brands to MLS soccer: The stars all come over once they aren't in their primes anymore. LOL.
A lot of NBA players also endorse Chinese brands, but not in the prime of their careers or they aren't superstars. That's why when Wade did it it was such a big deal. Now, ball players realize that they do make quality shoes too, but the exposure isn't always there for people outside of China.
What do you think of the rise of the Dunk? Is it as popular over in Asia? Dunks are very popular here. Especially Dunk Lows among the female community. It has become the official big sweater, shoe of choice for females. A lot of partners are out there looking for Dunks for their significant other.
What's an interesting fact about the Chinese sneaker game that we probably don't know? People are perfectly fine boycotting a brand. I was shocked by the swiftness of social media calling out brands and asking their social media role models to ditch companies (and they did). There is a real strong sense of country here that shouldn't be downplayed. Cancel culture is strong out here too.
Another thing that people may not understand is that in the height of reselling, it was just as bad out here as well. You couldn't find anything on shelf. Instead of kids and young resellers buying up products to make a few hundred dollars, it really is just a lot of already-rich resellers who have the funds to enter 1000s of raffles or pay hundreds of people to line up. That's why I think the resell game has shifted because the big boys don't find it as much of a profit anymore, so they just moved on. the young high school kids or college kids weren't flipping that much to begin with out here.
How have you been keeping busy over pandemic? Have you taken up any new hobbies? My daughter was born in January of 2020 so life was a whirlwind at the start of the pandemic. Being at home quarantined while also trying to take care of a newborn is no joke. For all the criticism that China may have received for it's harsh and strict stance on policy and quarantine, I am extremely grateful that we've been living life normally (outside of traveling out of the country) since August of 2020. Things were really bad world wide at that time (still are), being able to go hoop still and live a fairly normal life is a blessing with the young one. I still continue to play basketball and I'm just trying to enjoy this time we have.
Is there anything exciting that you have coming up that you can share? I've recently started partnering with a store in Shanghai called DOE Shanghai. It's a local streetwear brand that has gained a lot of recognition being built from the ground up in Shanghai. They have partnered with with the likes of Nike, Patta, etc.
I'm trying to help with some of their sneaker releases and to bring attention to their brand to the sneakerheads in the area. Most of my IG presence is in the USA, but I wanted to make a group for sneaker enthusiasts who live in Shanghai and may not know about these drops or events taking place.
What advice do you have for aspiring sneakerheads who have just started collecting? Buy the shoes you feel comfortable with. Everything on social media is not reality. It's important that we live within our means and that we buy what we want, not what we think others want to see on us. If you like the Nike Monarch dad shoes, so be it. If you only wear Van Slip-Ons , that's cool too. Shoes have become a status symbol and has really turned a lot of new people off of them. Shoes should be a way we show our personal style and personality. They should be for everyone.
While you're here, you might as well check out some of our other Under The Influence interviews down below:
