Lafferty, Matulich and Liu

Sneaker collectors from Czech Republic are influenced by the development of hip-pop and skater
subculture (Čermáková, 2011). With a long history of a global consumer subculture, sneaker community
has a fan base of more than 35,000 members globally (Čermáková, 2011).

 Collection – measured by growth

 Purchasing items for resale is not collecting.
 Nor can merely hoarding or amassing things be said to be collecting them

We collect because we are compelled to— by the magnetic field of a collection’s incompleteness, by a
telos that moves through the ever-changing group.

First, the authors emphasized that collecting should not be confused with any other kind of
“consumption such as hoarding, accumulation, or investing” (Morgan 375; Lafferty et. al 2).
Furthermore, Morgan states that people collect things because of the need to fulfil the ultimate goal
of completing their collection in different variation of size, shape, color, and etc. (375).

 However, we must not confuse collecting with any other kind of “consumption” (Morgan 375

Sudden and spontaneous desire to act; 2.Temporary loss of control; 3. Psychological conflict and
struggle; 4. Reduction of cognitive evaluation; 5. Disregard for consequences.

Rook (1987) argued that during impulse buying, the consumer experiences an instantaneous,
overpowering and persistent desire. He characterised the impulse buying as unintended, non-reflective
reaction, which occurs soon after being exposed to stimuli inside the store. Rook and Gardner (1993)
defined impulse buying as an unplanned behavior involving quick decision-making and tendency for
immediate acquisition of the product

The hypnotic obsession has most certainty been a result of sneakers throughout history, including the
strong emotional ties it has with the United States as well as with the hip-hip culture.
Sneaker culture has been heavily influenced by the hip-hop scene and pop-culture (Brace-Govan and
Burgh-Woodman 102, 103; Cunningham 2, 3; Bekoe 2). With famous athletes like Michael Jordan and
hip-hop artists like Run-DMC being closely associated to sneakers, the hype around sneaker increased
(Brace-Govan and Burgh-Woodman 102). As a result, sneaker enthusiasts have shown their willingness
to obtain “limited edition” or rare sneakers by various means such as waiting all night outside the stores
to get themselves the rare pair (Brace-Govan and Burgh-Woodman 105; Cunningham 3).

Cunningham, Caroline. “You are what’s on your feet: men and the sneaker subculture.” Journal of
Culture & Retail Image, vol.