Sneaker Reviews Are Worse Than You Think
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Are these sneakers worth it? Should you buy now? Are they the best quality? Sneaker reviews obsess over these questions and forget to ask "wait, why did I buy these again?".
Watching review content can help with certain questions or pieces of info we might want to know, and they can make for good entertainment, but we need a balance of hearing people's genuine enthusiasm, interest, and taste in shoes rather than just measurable qualities.
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Although I referenced this in the video I think it’s worth clarifying: this is not intended to be a ‘call out’ of any particular channels nor sneaker reviewers generally - after all, I’ve put out my fair share of sneaker reviews myself! I also don’t believe we shouldn’t enjoy review or feature-based content. My point is more that as viewers we should remember that our personal experiences and taste is valid, and is a more interesting guide for us than ‘objective’ qualities of products, especially something as subjective as sneakers. Listening to the taste and experiences of others can help us develop appreciation and understanding of our own, and I’d love to see people engage with this idea more.
It’s also worth noting that being a ‘sneaker reviewer’ inherently pushes people towards covering certain shoes to gain views, grow their audience etc., so to an extent it can be difficult to show their taste or true interest with what shoes they’re covering.
Agreed - but you have to admit, especially if you're just getting into the rabbit hole of sneaker head videos, it's hard ro not think the video reviewer's may have some credibility, and follow suit. The thing is, for myself, the less admission on the content creator on their authority is subjective, the less credible they become, and they become more like talking points of a sneaker listing rather than someone's opinion I should respect. It does better though if they can be funny about it. Keep up the philosophical tackling of subjects like these - I find most sneaker reviews boring, especially if they don't add context or are just quantifiers.
Hey @thisisantwon - what is your favourite jacket, top, trouser & shoe?!
Hey @thisisantwon - what is your favourite jacket, top, trouser & shoe?!
I see a problem with your argument. Our personal style, the brand's history, the cultural impact of the product, and many other factors should be considered before purchase, sure. Having said that, I believe that technical analysis, when made by those with enough experience, are crucial. For example, if I like a watch and I see a review from a specialist mentioning relevant problems with its movement, bracelet, or quality control, all other factors might become irrelevant to my decision. In summary, I agree that we should buy something for more than the specs and that a lot of reviewers are simply bad, but I also believe we should try to have a high resolution understanding of what we care about.
I mean the only channel we really need to call out as really really bad are ShadeTV and FoamerSimpson
came for the fashion, stayed for the philosophy
🙏appreciate you!
Came for the 🥩 meets 👟 joke.....wasn't disappointed!
Antwon your "recent" shift towards more discussion-based and reflective videos is so amazing, I really feel like you've found your niche here. I thoroughly enjoy every one of them, and it makes me think a lot. I'm a fashion student, and while sneakers is not really something I've ever cared much about, this video was absolutely interesting and I think the same thinking can be applied in many different areas (like the restaurant review example you gave). Keep it up!
Thanks so much! I'll admit I toyed with the idea of making this a general video about reviews but I didn't want to make it feel unrelatable for people after clothing content. Cool to hear you're studying fashion! Good luck with your course 🙏
Just wanted to add to the comment about sneakers being something you don't really care about- me neither. I'm not really into streetwear but I love this TH-cam channel, hes just that good.
Very interesting video, Antwon. The balancing act of a content creator is a tough one. With the spectacle on online creation being a major driver for views, a metric we all live by, I fear that the solution you present will be challenging for most. It's also a matter of audience. How much of the audience really wants that in depth of a review vs the that just want to see their favorite creator talk about it? Either way, this was a fantastic video, the type of content I personally like to watch. Thank you for sharing.
Really appreciate the comment and your perspective! I totally agree, ultimately for every person who wants to really gain an understanding of what they like in clothing, and articulate what draws them to certain sneakers, there are 10 who just want to know what's cool right now, or what the biggest releases look like up close. When content is your income, it's super hard to communicate personal taste knowing that it might make for a less popular video or be more difficult to create than an unboxing. You're also right in that there's a sweet spot for the level of detail a lot of people want - no doubt people would be turned off by a 20-minute video giving a complete cultural history of a shoe when they only really want to know if it's comfy and looks cool irl.
I enjoy the output of both of you and I really appreciate depth over surface level. I'm into clothing and especially sneaker and I want to expand to knowledge as I want to make more conscious purchases rather than blindly following hype...guess I'm more of a sneakerhead rather than a hypebest. I've run into a lot of disappointing video reviews that barely mention the collaborators in passing or acknowledge they knew nothing but do not take the opportunity to share what they have learned and how this might played into the appreciation for the shoes...which leds me to fast forward until I see the sizing recommendations and move on.
There must be a middle ground to educate and still appeal to the instant gratification crowd. In sneakers, if you want to push the culture forward, it's imperative...otherwise the hypebeasts will never be able to grow from that narrow mindset. Facilitate the toolkit so people can build a criteria in the future.
The Rose Anvil channel has nearly single-handedly built a new market for shoes and boots. New boot companies are springing up, old companies are putting out new lines. Weston and his bandsaw are owed a lot by Red Wing, White's and the rest.
(also I never should have seen him cut rep Nike sneakers, I've built the college funds of a couple kids in Putian by myself buying 'fake' sneakers and it's a better experience leading to a better product, than these 'legit' raffles and purposeful undersupply perpetrated by the manufacturers)
I can definitely see that - there's a whole segment marketing itself around quality materials and craftsmanship, and that's exactly what RA prioritise in their content
it would be awesome to see a video about replicas, and all the aspects concerning them, from quality to social expectations and implicatures :o
He’s a good starting point, but he spreads tons of misinformation about footwear as well. I would take any of his conclusions with a grain of salt. For example, his Alden video is absolutely full of misinformation, and doesn’t take into account things like style, comfort, and the fact that the stuff he’s complaining about don’t really matter in the long run
@iftcar2950 I like his channel, but it always annoys me when he does a non-boot or more fashion-oriented-boot review that basically boils down to "this is bad cause it isn't made like a work boot." Yeah, no kidding. Cause it's not a work boot.
@@iftcar2950 He's complaining about how an American heritage brand is undercutting quality and keeping prices high. The American way?
As I continue to focus more on personal style instead of consumption, it’s videos like this that I appreciate more and more - thank you for not pushing a product, but instead suggesting a more rational way of digesting fashion content!
This right here 👌
The Pandemic really shot sneaker culture up. Resellers were having a field day. I don't care for hype. I'm subbed to alot of the guys you featured. Rose Anvil and Chris from Weartesters are my go-to for sneaker content because I feel like I always learn something new about kicks and they're genuinely passionate about it.
Interesting note about Rose Anvil is that he made serial about minimalistic sneakers, making the point what he thinks it is well made in his mind. That is quite a good context that wasn't mentioned through those screenshots of comments
I mostly watch rose anvil but he dose a good job bringing up the history and culture around it as well as the more tangible things like leather and engineering
It's why I tend to go to Rose Anvil and The Ginger Runner. The former discusses materials when sawing them in half. The latter is about the running experience. Yes, he mentioned Common Projects as being overpriced due to materials (similar to Doc Martens) and construction, and I like that over hype or parasocial reasons for loving a shoe.
Also you might be into carbon fiber plated runners.
I really like how you use actual books as references in your videos, I don't see that very often. Great work as always.
There's a yoga studio near me which has a tagline "voted #1 studio in City Paper 5 years in a row" and they just put up a sign imploring passersby to vote for them in the City Paper online poll so they can keep their streak. Consensus ratings are funny.
...but then again, you wouldn't NOT want to go to the #1 studio right?
Another great video, Apex Legends! I think the saying of "nothing exists in a vaccum" is very fitting on this topic and it applies to both the reviewer and the audience - on one hand, the revewier can be naturally influenced from their proximity to certain communities to become biased towards a brand or a product, both consciously and unconsciously, and this includes their own audience as well. For an "outsider", the context may change from a loyalty to a style or a brand, to a view from the amalgamation of their own experiences with other similar (or contrasting) products, styles, or even philosophy. On the other hand, most audiences would gravitate toward content that they think are focusing on the aspects they prioritise. And this can create a vicious cycle of hyperfocus until one party breaks away from it. But being conscious about it can be helpful in that the audience can understand a channel is focusing on a specific aspect (whether they are factually correct is another question) so that they can choose one or many perspectives to receice and synthesize the perspective they want, and reviewer can make it clear the perspective they are providing so that the audience can receive that perspective more effectively.
So I guess what I'm saying is that I watch like 30 reviews to justify my impulse purchase
As a shoemaker for a major brand, I wanted to put out sneaker reviews on shoes I own and grew to love, which are rather niche. And since I never found any other "good" reviews on some of them. Mostly to highlight cool under-the-radar shoes and collabs and their cool little details.
This review review helped me, I'll definitely mention more about the reasons why the shoes exist and do more research on the background, like Fashion Forward Always seems to do. Thank you Armory!
I think that Weartesters is one of the only few channels that really gives all the specs and information needed.
From the construction & specs, all the way to “is this shoe still made true to the original shape”.
(Even if repetitive, every now and then a model changes oh so slightly)
Very very rarely they show a shoe that is not a basketball shoe, and that’s what I like about their channel, they stick to what they’re good and knowledgeable about. (Even if that means they can’t cater to a bigger audience, by staying more niche)
Especially when they mention material differences from the original runs to the modern-day consumer renditions like most Jordan releases.
I think their white cement 3 reimagined video displays what you said so perfectly such as why it’s so iconic, how they could be made in different factories , the accuracy to the OG, the different insole from the regular 3s, the change from the recent release and even how customizable it could be. It’s nice to see that
I didn’t even know I was in the midst of review culture until you gave it a name lol I’m also guilty of being apart of it. Perhaps guilty isn’t the correct word, either way well done video as usual Ant !
I'd like to argue that there is merit to seeing the objective value of things in reviews. The Rose Anvil vids for example. They can't even begin to stuff exactly how important Docs are culturally. *The* defacto punk shoe. But they are objectively ass and will break down faster than other similarly priced shoe. It's up to the consumer to check whether their money is worth the product. No matter how much you tell someone that new docs are ass, maybe they have fond memories of their 80's boots that are still kicking. While I agree that review culture more often than not skips the culturally important aspects of an item, it's worth knowing the objective value of it
Great vid - as someone who reviews sneakers it’s interesting to think about ways to make the content more valuable 🙌🏾🙌🏾
Thanks! Appreciate you checking out the video man.
I believe that, as you have identified yourself, this is an unfortunate social feature of consumerist culture and that we are experiencing it in an acute way due to the centralised nature of the internet.
I find that most people, when attempting to articulate an accurate description of _anything_ without relating that thing to another within a predetermined set, struggle massively. This is because, generally, people lack sophisticated or specific language to describe the phenomena they experience. This leads to confusion and the adoption of vague or simplistic language as a means of compensating. This is why you find jargon terms so prevalent in almost all subcultures, they are a means to both avoid real technical specificity and reinforce more general ways of thinking and identifying within said subculture.
Take the sneaker term “colorway” (always spelled American) it simply refers to the the colour composition of the shoe. It has no real meaning to a normal person outside of it being identifiable as a sneaker term. It also has no meaning to a cobbler who actually makes shoes, it can’t convey anything technical to them. However having a specific term for such a general concept is beneficial for that subculture of people to identify with and prevents them from ever having to discuss the specific aspects of colour composition, palette and materials that would take sophistication to understand and explain.
For example;
“Did you see the new Jordans”
“Yes, the colorway is fire”
No specific information was provided however both parties can feel like they engaged about the topic with some depth while maintaining an emotional distance where they aren’t invested in the outcome. If they had asked “what do you think of the new lasting process of the Jordan’s?” Or if they had replied “I like how they changed the nitrogen injection to the foam for better durability and impact protection” they would be taking a risk of the other not having the required knowledge or interest to engage fully. Both of those statements can be responded to with dismissal and rejection and so an emotionally neutral vocabulary of non specific jargon is rationally the best way to communicate while maintaining a social relationship.
There’s a lot more I could add but I think I’ve gone on enough, this is genuinely fascinating as a topic of discussion.
Antwon, when are we getting those wheel review videos? (Lost it at the thumbnail memes, stayed the entire video. Once again, I love how your videos can further my understanding of the fashion state right now)
Just to continue the discussion,
The first thing that comes to mind is the saying, “Those who don’t do, teach” but in this case it would be “those who don’t design, review” and think it all starts with appreciation for whatever the subject is. Ultimately like the iceberg at a certain point there is a huge gap of knowledge. Can anyone choose to learn that knowledge? Yes but the difficulty of comprehending and applying the knowledge, is what separates ppl. It’s what separates people. Like there is a difference between a master chess player and the grandmaster chess player. But with fashion, charisma can carry you a long way as a designer or a reviewer. ultimately, not, everybody, cares about good stitching on clothing, or what good stitching even looks like on clothing. And there is nothing wrong with not having interest in that especially with the overwhelming amount of choice we have now. You can choose between cheap clothing, or you can choose between paying for the name and somewhere between these there is middle ground but it’s become so much harder to find the middle ground. Looking for this middle ground is what breeds review channels
How about how sneaker “reviews” often don’t include an actual review of the sneaker? People never wore the damn thing and can’t given any sensory feedback on the comfort in mixed conditions.
I watched a few 'unboxing reviews' like this for this video and they essentially just describe the shoe without wearing it - I can do that myself from the product pictures!
Thisisantwon is a mind expander. Also the Nike air trainer 1 retro is my favourite recent pick up because it’s perfectly encapsulates 80’s sports culture. I can almost smell mowed grass when I put a pair on.
banger vid Antwon!
While I cant comment on general sneaker reviews as I don't watch them, I can say that for more specialised shoes, such as the adidas velosambas (you included a pic at 13:43), reviews tend to be very well rounded due to the reviewer having actually used them, which is something you touched on in ur vid. Also due to the availability of these less "hype" shoes reviewers often encourage viewers to try out shoes and return them if they don't like them.
All that's to say, the best reviews are the ones that come out months after a release, after the hype.
Very true! With more niche releases I imagine there's also less pressure to talk about them day 1, or beat others to getting the first review, giving them the time to make better use of them
Antwon, your channel has always been one of my favourites and I found this video very interesting. It’s a tough balancing act as a content creator, on one hand in order to grow your channel you gotta put out sneaker content earlier to get more views, before you have a chance to properly test the products. And also the more popular the shoe, the more views they get, even though they aren’t necessarily shoes you would want to wear personally. I try my best in my videos to thoroughly talk about the brand/person that is collaborating with a shoe and about every single detail on a shoe without overwhelming the viewer and I think I do a good job. Thanks for this video and for all the content you put out
I like Rose Anvil because he puts his money where is mouth is and actually rips them apart.
“Sneaker Culture” has become a clout chasing hype circus, and very few are even worth listening to on the topic.
Thankfully you are one of the rare ones who sees the bigger picture, so keep up the good work Antwon.
I appreciate you bringing a critical perspective on the very same medium/ sub-genre that you work in, plus review culture feels like it’s everywhere now. You earned some trust from me plus a subscription. I also like your opinions on clothing / style
I don't see that many high quality, all encompassing reviews of luxury Italian footwear. Most reviewers are just doing hype culture brands like Nike, Adidas, New Balance, etc.
thats more just cause sneaker culture is wayy more "street" oriented than luxury. if you want that you'd have to find someone more dedicated yo that area of fashion which is gonna be hard to find
I don't think pointing out that some people refute Rose Anvil's criticism in the video qualifies as hate. I have no issues with the channel or their style of content!
I´m absolutely not interested in sneaker culture or fashion in general. But one time i searched for sneaker deals when it came time to buy a new pair, and shortly after that googled how to tie a tie. That led me down the TH-cam rabbit hole of fashion, and now i spend several hours a week watching sneaker reviews and fashion content. My relationship with fashion hasn´t changed a bit, but now i have some more content to watch whenever i´m bored at work.
Very very interesting, I'm loving these more in-depth videos related to fashion and the internet. Both entertaining and informative, exactly what I like.
Another wonderful video essay, Ant. Thank you for these!
I feel so seen as someone whose frequently disappointed by sneaker reviews from folks whose expertise is in content creation and not outdoor performance, apparel or footwear technology & design, etc.
Many of us with the most experience or knowledge about a product are too busy touching grass to make review content, but you better believe we’ll come to the comments section looking for smoke
Point three, I'm absolutely on the other side of that, I really WANT to make content for my historical fencing, but I train 5 days a week and can't make time to make the content, while raging at the content that gets made because the peeps doing it, say super deranged things. Being on the other side of the problem is ALSO hell
the main thing i use sneaker reviews for is sizing recommendations
the 'conscious ant' era is truly giving, loving the direction of the channel recently
Nice video once again! A dentist recommending to floss is actually tapping into another marketing principle called Authority. It’s another one from the six principles of Robert Cialdini.
You bring up a really important point about the dichotomy between these creators not wanting to review something based off of hype while having to play into it in order to wrk the algorithm. It's a balancing act for sure, and even can affect sponsorships when you have some videos with hundreds of thousands of views and some with tens of thousands. That inconsistency can be off-putting to a potential sponsor as they want to see those numbers can be guaranteed. Therefore, many creators get stuck in the realm of *only* covering the hyped brands while claiming it has no affect on their review. This is all connected to, as you say, their worth being valued on the quantity of views too, of course
Loved this video - felt like an old PBS idea channel or a Bliss Foster vid. Been following you for years but loving the new style!
Great video, thought provoking. I need to spend more time thinking about my personal connection to the products i purchase.
Please tell me what sneakers i should buy?
y-3 marathon trail, obviously
@@Maccabyable I have been told the panda dunks will be hot next year?🙄
I really really really love your content and the way you talk about something, we may have different styles but fashion wise I am learning a lot from you.
i dont have a problem with sneaker reviews per ce, its good to have someone review something before you buy it, but yeah im so tired of the constant "teir lists" and "top ten shoes you must have for current year" videos and half of the top tens are always air jordans or new balance, they dont try to talk about anything new or educate the audience other than some quick wikipedia esque history (rose anvil does much more but very few others do the same)
anyways if you wanna troll sneakerheads tell them air jordans are overpriced and new balance is overrated, theyll have a nuclear meltdown if you say that your "sketchers" shoes are better.
Sooner or later someone will make a 'Sketchers are underrated' video and it'll all be over.
Would love to see more tier lists of what individuals particularly like rather than trying to do 'objective' rankings!
Great video as always, i love how you take a critical eye to the fashion community without being a total doomer about it with some inflammatory title and thumbnail, and you hold yourself accountable and practice what you preach.
As a (very, lol) amateur skater who is trying to get a feel for the best shoes for performance that i still think look cool, it’s really weird going back to regular, non-performance shoe reviews and realizing how little they know and communicate; i mean, what do you even say about the 200th Nike SB Dunk that you’re not even gonna skate, in collaboration with a brand that you didn’t do research on?
Pretty much the only “sneaker content” i consume nowadays besides skate shoe reviews is the Complex Sneakers Podcast, because they are very knowledgeable about the industry, development, and maybe even just as important, the culture, so i’m both entertained and informed by them as a conscious consumer
I certainly think it's easier to talk about the quantifiable metrics of a product rather than discussing the emotion or feeling it may give you. For example, when I'm wearing an original Jordan colourway I can look down and feel motivated knowing the shoes are emblematic of a dedicated and hard working man who achieved great success. Of course, none of us are Michael Jordan, but you put the shoes on and you want to be like Mike.
I also think the limited availability of a product or the exclusivity of knowing about a product can be a big reason people want said product. But this can be hard to talk about. If I hit on a limited Nike SB collab, I feel good wearing something that a lot of people wanted but few could get. If I wear a shoe that is only appreciated by 'shoe connoisseurs' then I might feel good being part of small collective that knows 'better' than the general public. But a person saying they like a pair of shoes because of the exclusivity can make them sound like a bit of a dick.
Another thing I considered was perhaps content creators battle their passion for the things they review with the success of their channel. Because I presume the frequency of uploads can help TH-cam sneaker channels, but then they might only be really truly passionate about maybe 10 different shoe releases a year. However, doing these 100 other reviews on other releases might be good for their channel growth. Those 100 other reviews might not be as cultrally in depth though.
The last thing I wanted to mention, as I am aware this is a very long comment, is WearTesters! They are included in your B-roll, but you also mention that you can't find an example of a channel that explains why they love shoes, but these guys absolutely do! I could give loads of examples from their channel and Chris really gives an appreciation to shoes and everything around them, like the culture and so on. I really enjoy their videos, so that's just my opinion, but I think they deserve the credit.
Cheers for the video
Always interesting, I went on and read the Debord book because you mentioned in another video and while a bit anachronistic it has a lot of things that are transferable to contemporary society as you said.
To quote another comment “I came for the fashion I stayed for the philosophy”
Btw even if they ignore some brands the best video series for sneaker culture understanding is definitely the complex sneakers podcast, which in a way fills the gap between the product itself and the significance of it in culture (predominantly US culture but not exclusively)
saw a gunpla on the shelf and had to sub. you got me
I see that Garbaldy Beta 👀 Antwon plamo channel when?
With reviews too I am guilty of using them as a form of confirmation bias, where I will already have my mind set on buying a product and I will still look up reviews of it beforehand and if they're positive I will use it as justification for buying said product rather than just buying what I like.
Well spotted 👀 I'm very much a Gunpla novice but I put pics on IG occasionally when I build new ones. I have one or two sitting around I really need to do.
Definitely done the same thing! That comes into the same 'social proof' topic - you feel that you like something, but you need someone else to affirm it first
Hell no I be looking up shoe reviews n I can’t found nun for the shoes I wanna see like I want to know if the fit true to size but I can’t fine them lol so not really every shoe lol
Guess that just means you have some cool unique taste!
So far, Weartesters and Hes Kicks have been my favorite sneaker channels for reviews.
I agree with the argument but like you said there's a place for both qualitative and quantitative reviews. I think it's up to the viewers who end up watching all these reviews to find the reviewer that speaks the most to their style of review and content they are looking for. The same parallels for watches you can carry over to watches - do you go for the brand that has this vast history with a hefty price tag or go for the new "micro" brand that seemingly blows the other watch out of the water because it's specs are better and checks off all the boxes.
I love your sense of humor. @14:08 is absolutely hysterical.
ngl was chucking to myself watching it back, so stupid
Modern sneaker culture thrives off the online content space it occupies. The only prohibitive part of it is the price tag these days. "Reviews" fall more and more into the content sludge format these days with the ADHD editing of larger channels knowing exactly how to exploit the algorithms. I'm tempted to say it's almost a gentrification of what sneaker culture used to be with how much focus goes into every single drop, brand loyalty wars, and less about both the designers/collaborations and more importantly, the designs themselves. It's so hard to find people actually sharing real thoughts about some sneakers these days, let alone the creators bothering to build fits around the sneakers to give them a proper showcase.
I think one of the thing that both intrigues and confuses me about modern sneaker culture is that the people I've met either care immensely about a specific brand/model like Nike Dunk Highs or follow trends closely.
Only a few weeks ago I had a chat with a buddy about his new Dunks and he asked me, why I don't get trending sneakers. I like the brand/product histories, specific comfort to me, and the aesthetics. You mentioned the paradox of choice, but following those three points for me has been a great guide to satisfaction with just about every purchase (bar the ones that don't fit and now have to return). I'm not looking to be some influencer, just being critical of what I like from a style. Sometimes it's something bold like the Geo Forma boots from ACW x Converse collab, and sometimes it's a simple white Italian leather sneaker. I think caring critically about what YOU want for yourself needs some more popular attention, but that doesn't fit the current online content meta.
How is it different from what you're doing with fashion on this channel, evaluating ans comparing the brands an items you like? The fct that you're talking about your feelings? :P
Fair comment! I'm not intending for this video to feel like I'm attacking reviewers for doing what they're doing, more that it's valuable for us as viewers to consume a variety of content which isn't just 'objective' review stuff. That said, I think it'd be great for reviewers to show us more about their own taste or what makes a shoe great for them.
Although I don't do straight product reviews as much as I used to I've always been fairly consistent with what sort of clothing/sneakers I cover, to the point if you watched a bunch you'd probably get a good sense of the sorts of things I enjoy and like to wear. I've never really aimed to review the biggest or most popular releases because I prefer to talk about what I personally enjoy.
What I've focused on more recently is using the clothing I like as examples to make broader points or talk about fashion more generally. That way I still get to talk about the clothing I really like without alienating people who aren't interested in the specific things I am.
I watched a youtube short where the dude explained the history of the Nike Killshot, Sambas, Super Lig OG Pumas. Its nice to see that in a video about shoes, so u know what ur getting when u purchase the shoe. And what exactly the shoe was produced for to begin with. Its intended usage, etc
You just put everything I had in my head about sneakers into a nice clear and concise video. If you think these reviewers don't discuss the comfort, engineering and messaging of the sneaker and just focus on the hype aspect, its worse in India, ask anyone who's wearing yeezys what their fav Kanye album is, and their response would usually be I don't listen to Kanye and bear in mind, these top shelf sneakers cost as much as someone's whole months' salary in India due to the high luxury item tax.
To be honest the only shoe reviewer that cares about the collaborators and explains why he likes a shoe is Seth Fowler there's a reason why he's one of the biggest
Good point! Appreciate the detail he gives in his content
Lol watced 1 of his videos and they are 100% made towards small kids who cannot buy shoes for 100$. I rather watch "how to play" Fortnite videos
great video Antwon! it was particularly insightful, as the topic is quite tangled and complex, and gave me things on which i could reflect!
It's videos like this that help us remind the value of our own thoughts. By that i don't mean that reviews shouldn't be consulted whatsoever, but to measure our reliance on them, as a heavy consumption can profoundly influence our choice, especially when a review isn't that much needed ( ie. reviews on popular sneakers at the time, as the main tendency will be positive reviews and people buying them anyway because they're hot atm ). At the end of the day, we are thinking human beings, and just like we're able to choose our favourite colour, we could be able to choose our favourite sneakers and garments and match them up to our personal style and fashion sense.
We should also keep in mind that reviews from content creators can be far different from reviews given by friends, or simply by talking directly to other people online; i got good reviews by friends on niche shoes ( at least around my area ) that now i love, like the Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81, which i bought mainly for sporting purposes, but they do an amazing job at being comfortable and stylish at the same time!
As you said, reviews are not to be banished at all, as they can lead our way, and sometimes practically help us when it comes to garment choice in technical ways, but keeping in mind that our own crafted opinion is valid, the variety around could be much more rich, and we could live our fashion-journey mindfully and enjoy it even more :)
I would venture to guess that most sneakerheads are just pathological hoarders, and fast fashion preys on those people.
Being a sneakerhead for most people means 'owning lots of shoes' so yeah I get that
That analogy with the car community couldn’t be more true 😂. 5k wheels on a 1k shitbox.
I feel like one of the biggest problems with the internet becoming so ubiquitous is that people who shouldn't have platforms end up having them. This isn't just an issue with fashion vloggers/reviewers but also people reviewing restaurants without having basic understanding of the cuisine the place is cooking, or people reviewing art/games/movies/shows/music without having any knowledge of the field or any reason that they would actually know what they're talking about. Just from some of those clips you added, how can you possibly not have the self-awareness to not make a video about a brand you literally know nothing about? You'd think even a five minute research session with some Google searches would have been done to improve the final content. Add on sometimes undisclosed sponsored content and it gets even muddier.
It's hard to filter out the bullshit these days, especially with algorithm-based feeds stinking up every second of our digital attention spans. It's partly why I appreciate creators like you more than ever, because you're providing thoughtful analysis on these topics instead of just creating banal content to try and get clout and free shit.
Why even study for my degree when antwon teaches me all I need to know about philosophy and economics
Amazing video, just subbed, love your content. Keep it up 🙌🏻
Thansk so much!
Rose anvil just gives you the facts.
I think the males of the modern age should follow ant, since this kind of content is elevated and looks back on itself in a way we're all ready for from the other bro shit we're consuming. Also, review fatigued ant was Oscar worthy.
Why hate on the reviews like Rose Anvil's Common Project? They provide an objective view on the products that balances the subjective, and often biased views provided by the fans.
For example, Doc Martens quality is rubbish considering their price, and Rose Anvil also showed that in his reviews, but it didn't stop me from buying a pair because I'm already a fan and know I only wear it occasionally. But at least I didn't buy the shoes blindly.
That said, I would never buy a Common Project simply because "luxury" used to mean it's superior to regular products in just about every aspect, whether it's the material, design or craftsmanship. I don't buy "luxury" products just because of brand recognition only. I leave it to suckers that associate luxury brands to their own personal worth.
I think you might have misunderstood this take on Rose Anvil, in that there was no “hate on the reviews” that he did on Common Projects. What is said is that the reviewer cut into the shoe and showed the supposed cheap construction of it, but failed to mention the cultural impact and influence that the shoe has had on fashion as a whole.
The video then goes into saying how the enormous popularity of this video has gone on to have larger influence on the way we view these products. That somehow a piece of fashion can be “objectively” good or bad, simply depending on the quality of the materials and construction.
And this is reflected in your comment as well-the idea that “luxury” is measured by “materials, design, and craftsmanship”. But what can be described as “luxury”, or any product for that matter, goes beyond the quantifiable constituent parts of any given piece. Grading a piece of fashion on a rubric is to ignore the enormous cultural, historical, emotional, and aesthetic aspects that are just-if not more-important.
The video does agree that discussing a product’s physical characteristics is not unimportant. It’s great that you’re armed with the knowledge of the quality of Doc Martens. I think it’s important to know what you’re buying. But like you said, you’re still a fan of brand-most likely for the unquantifiable reasons I mentioned previously.
And that’s why a lot of people buy Common Projects. I’m not a fan either. But I get why people buy them. Even if you remove all branding, I could pick them out from a lineup of other white sneakers. They really nailed the silhouette of the Achilles Low in a way that most other companies couldn’t. And there are others who appreciate the way Common Projects was an integral part of that era in fashion-while this isn’t on the level of say, Alden, it’s still a form of heritage. Common Projects is an undeniable cornerstone of that era of fashion.
Ultimately, they don’t say what Rose Anvil has done is necessarily bad-but rather, how it’s a reflection of review culture as a whole will tend to focus on a shoe simply as a consumable product that exists in a vacuum.
@@matthewjchung when people start talking about "cultural impact" and influence on fashion, to me, that just looks like they're clutching straws trying to justify spending an obscene amount of money on something they can't really afford. You know, someone spending a week's worth of wage on Common Project to flex on his mate.
Classic brands with heritage like Converse Chuck Taylor have a lot more cultural impact and influence on fashion than Common Project at a fraction of the price, so you know price and luxury has nothing to do with it.
Common Project wasn't the first to make white sneakers and if you show them to the average people on the street, chances are they wouldn't know what it is or what Achilles Low even looks like. Show them Converse Chuck Taylors and I'm confident most people know what it is. So just because a sneakerhead know what it is, doesn't make it influential.
At the end of the day, luxury items belong in the realm of the wealthy. Rich and famous people use/wear them daily, unlike the wannabes that only wear them when they want to flex. Basically, the more pristine your expensive shoes are, the more obvious you can't really afford them, that you have to take care of them like a baby.
Finally, I don't see anything wrong with reviews that focus on sneakers as consumables, which they actually are. If people want to go on a wankfest about cultural influence, they can simply ignore those reviews. I don't see why they have to be so bothered by review videos to make a Reddit essay or video about it. Using my own Doc Martens example, I don't see Rose Anvil trying to convert me into a Doc hater. He's simply giving me extra information to make a more informed purchase.
People probably didn’t like hearing the $400 they spent to flex on their normcore homies was wasted
@@leighkavan5992 most likely.
To actually get advice on running shoes and get access to brands like HOKA Saucony and Brooks in the UK, I had to go to a brick and mortar where I had my running style recorded and analysed in order to recommend a certain type of shoe. I was informed that I was a neutral runner and all that was left was trying on all different options and picking a colourway. The whole process took 5 minutes. All that said, I will pick up air max 270s at some point
easier to compare than to think critically
Back in 2021 I went on a buying spree of buying replicas of like 10 hyped models I’ve always wanted and I was happy for like a week and then I felt empty lol. After that I realized that the sneaker game is wack and decided to buy less and only once every 3 months. So I unsubbed from every sneaker channel and blog site and just focused on what people where wearing whenever I went out and until now I feel like I really have begun to find my personal taste regardless of what people think and it Feels great!
Haha I can attest to this, the satisfaction of getting what you want is crazy short-lived and there'll ALWAYS be something else on the horizon
Lordpedro96 is hands down my favourite sneaker/fashion TH-camr of all time. He DOES explain the history and design elements of everything he reviews and I leave every video of his knowing a little more about sneakers than before I clicked on it. Only issue is he’s Venezuelan so unless you speak fluent Spanish you’d need to watch his videos with subtitles lol
Gotta be fair here, WearTesters does do a great fucking job on educating people on sneaker history. He may not talk about the fashion subject much, but history wise, dude is a god.
6:06 Heh, one frame of Beard Meets Food there! Probably a coincidence rather than a deliberate easter egg, but made me smile nonetheless :)
It felt kinda odd that weartesters one of the o.g. basketball shoe/sneaker review channels was getting lumped getting in with all the other sneaker review channels.
I think this can actually be applied to most if not all types of product review, and the points you make in this video are pretty consistent with them. For example, during quarantine I started to be in the instagram and twitter music space (disgusting, i know), and after about a year i got to a point where all mysic has to be either rated numerically, or there must be a division between what one thinks is "good music" and qhat music one likes. And it all came down to technicalities which really felt like tropes, like content of the lyrics, song structure, where at first i appreciated music more but then it started to become a constant reminder of "flaws" in the seongs i listened to. So the song was no longer a good one because it reminded me of a said experience, but actually terrible bc the lyrics have one little line that just isnt great and everyone discredits the song for that one detail. As much as nitpicking is a problem here, taking things out of context to examine them as their own little thing made by parts but not part of something larger is reductive and makes the product very abstract, and it takes away from a deep comprehension of itself and of the relation between it and the others. Amazing video btw, loving this type of content and the references
I was distracted by the Galbaldy model in the background.
dude imagine an antwon video essay like channel about games, I feel like he'd do a great job
WAIT OMG I JUST DISCOVERED THE GAMING CHANNEL OMG
Hey now that Doja Cat endorsement is absolutely 100% going to make Skechers into the next huge brand that everyone wants! 😄
She is very much disliked. So we will see.
That's it I'm stocking up on Sketchers right now
@@ThisIsAntwon I know just the model. I actually skimmed through their site and they have a model called the “Koopa - Volley Low Varsity” that is available in the Panda Dunk color scheme. That’s THE shoe. Absolute must cop. No doubt about it; gonna be huuuuuuge. 😄
What a solid work! Thanks Antwon, I felt 1 IQ smarter after watching this
Evangelion menswear guy citing twitter thread menswear guy is what we want to see in this household
One day we'll merge our two great houses
babe wake up new antwon philosophy video just dropped
Fashion in general but sneaker culture so much more has became so mainstream it has begun to lack any substance, it feels like just jumping onto the next thing
i think its also because of how big its gotten, a lot of people engage with jt not in a clothing way or a appreciation way, but purely because of a percieved value. theyre treating it like stocks and stuff
The amount of people describing sneakers purely in terms of cost and resell value is mad
@@ThisIsAntwon this unrelated but do u have any reccs of shoes that would fit well with like a more militariatic spacey vibe that arent just combat boots? like something that would work well with hamcus stuff i wanted to get the adidas duszen but u had to be in china 2 get it and im thinking the travis air trainers lean towards that
@@ThisIsAntwon if you think its bad you should look into the watch world, people treat is as real state, though I do think its a lot sadder for sneakers because they got robbed from their culture. Now it is just a bunch of kids from the suburbs that make it their whole personality
@@cheffpm agreed, it’s just the cool thing to do now. Pretty inauthentic too
“Sneaker collecting” is primarily Nike basketball shoes.
I want more of these "philosophy of fashion"
5:08 thats like saying im willing to listen to a video game review on a city-builder game from a person who only plays shooters.
criticts for games become specialists in certain genres, wouldnt it be same for shoes ?
same thing with like michelin stars, idk if any street taco places have been awarded any michelin stars or not, but i could not care any less if they do or not, i dont need any french dudes from 'high cuisine' to tell me wether or not they think my street food is good lol
This review of reviews is like the Rick Owens of reviews 😎
This comment is definitely the Chrome Hearts of comments
The only reviews I take seriously are for shoes that I’m thinking of buying for skating, purely to see how durable they are
By the way, why not Skechers? (I have a pair, and I never thought about it, I don't wear it now, is it something, that I need to know?
Nah not necessarily, they just don't have any of the 'hype' you'd associate with the major streetwear shoe brands, and to my knowledge haven't had too many major collabs or limited releases to get people excited
those sneaker looking steaks and those steak looking sneakers are just great 2:12
I think for alot of these brands they really do need to be judged on there material quality most of these companies profit has been only going up where as there quality is ether unchanged or lowered and it feels more like these brands are using the culture around them to excuse there lack of trying
I feel like RAs vid on common projects would be different these days since he hardly did sneakers back then. My nerdom is watches, and its bonkers how much content there is on 30+ near identical divers. And yet i keep consuming the content
Other issue is usually the big content full time reviewers is that they are now financially dependent on the reviews. So they HAVE to review the new hotness ASAP. And they become dependent on the brands they "review" for access to the product that they review for their livelihood.
And that interdependence leads to the softest of softball reviews to avoid angering a brand that might not send an early review item next time. That gradually erodes any objectivity until they are molded into a free and disposable marketing tool of the brands they are "reviewing".
"They didn't pay me for the review, they just sent the item for free. I'm still completely objective." Right...
Is that a zaku in the background?
Love a good review review
Can't wait for the review review review to drop
I never bought into sneaker culture. Once or twice in my youth I had the Chuck Taylor All Stars basketball shoe. It was very uncomfortable with not much cushioning. I heard they are better made now but I dont want them. I stick to Sperry CVO in canvas or brushed leather. L.L. Bean makes a navy boot that is brushed leather and is good when it rains. Sperry has an orange boot that is very similarlr looking and can get wet, being of a nautical heritage. Want a classic white sneaker? It is Sperry again.
Converse in general are definitely not the most comfortable shoes in the world, so it's no bad thing that plenty of brands offer similar silhouettes whilst solving some of those problems
so you ar saying, my collection of reviews suck, and is hould consume newer version of reviews because they solves he ussies wih h previous reviews?
Since reviewing fashion (among a huge variety of other things) has become a staple of online content and influences a lot of people, I think it makes sence that you reflected on it from a meta perspective. If I understood correctly, you criticize that most reviews focus on single aspects of the reviewed item without providing a broader context to make the cultural significance of the item better understandable for the consumer. I think this is especially true for hyped items like sneakers, where few people are after supreme quality or tasteful color combos rather than the social capital that wearing a hype item gives them.
I think I would apreciate a punchy synopsis at the end of the video, something like your own post that you pinned in the comment section. I like your more sociological/analytical videos, but I noticed that I often wonder what point to take away from them, because I don't always notice the thread connecting all the different statements you make throughout the video. But maybe that's e deliberate choice not to make it too easy on the viewer? Or maybe I'm just dumb, lol.
Also, one important aspect of reviewing culture is how it's used as a further tool of marketing, how certain influencers get stuff for free so they talk about it and creater hype, how that maybe shapes the content because people of course want to make the type of content that qualifies them for free stuff, exclusive previews, sponsorships...
That's a valid point, I often don't do full 'conclusions' as I don't like feeling as though I'm repeating myself, but when I'm splitting into multiple sections like this it makes sense to do a bit of a recap at the end. We covered a lot of ground!
I'm sure the PR side is part of it as well - if you're at the stage where you're getting free sneakers you want to build that relationship to ensure you always have good access to the product, and unfortunately that can lead to pressure into giving less critical reviews.
The subtle shade in this one 😅
Thr fact that sneaker reviewers will treat a Kanye shoe exactly the same as any other model is why I decided they are all clowns. None of them care about who Kanye is or the horrible things he's said
I only trust that one guy on youtube who cut sneakers in half
PART 5 is the equivalent of FOMO.
i always watch multiple reviews first before making a purchase.
I might be a fashion outsider, but buying new balance for brand reasons is insane to me. I have a pair bc they were black and white with a thick sole that allows me to walk around w/o killing my feet. But they're no prettier/better than sketchers or no brand all black sneakers and the huge logo is ugly as hell