You’ve probably acquired a Hair Force,Niek,Aiyaa Jordan,Neik or a Guchii sneaker before with some great level of confidence while gassing up your shoe plug as we call them.
Yeah, so I recently had an Alcohol Brand funded Activation gig where I really wanted to dress the part,show up and impress.So it just happened that I was on the other part of CBD running errands since Am-Pm and the plan was heading back home by 7pm ,freshen up and head to the gig by 9pm.
Not yet blessed to drive,I boarded a Matatu at around 6:15pm headed on Jogoo Road only to find an incident along the way that translated to an accumulated massive traffic.Decided to be patient for around 30minutes while doing the math of actually just buying some sneakers and heading straight to the gig by using Mombasa Road as an alternative route to my destination,Imaara Mall.
First things first,I call my plug shop where they sell the Sneakers at a good whole sale price and unfortunately they closed by 6Pm.Sadly I alight,cross the Road and board another Matatu back to Town while arguing in my head why I should or should not buy a sneaker at a Town Store that deals at 5,000 Ksh. on a retail price. Close to Muthurwa Market I recall a guy who i used to buy some T-shirts from and just to cut the story short,he sold me a pair of fake sneakers.
Here I was, walking out of Muthurwa Market with a pair of fake sneakers that didn’t wait for like 10 minutes to get spoilt at the front and my 3,000 Ksh. gone while vowing not to ever buy anything from him.I didn’t even get to negotiate since he had introduced me to the wholesaler plug.The saddest part is that later that night a lady noticed the sneakers only to claim they were fake since the company had not yet shipped the pair to Africa.
It’s very sad on how many counterfeit shoes are sold in Kenya.Back in 2021,a Kenyan Designer Ali Abdi popularly known as Nairobi West Niccur, was accused of selling fake sneakers to the former Prime minister Raila Odinga by his fans.
Many of these counterfeit sneakers are alleged to be manufactured in China and shipped to various parts of the world since the real sneakers are very expensive for the common citizen to purchase.One can only imagine the vast wealth the stake holders in the sneakers counterfeit business have managed to acquire over the Years.
To avoid buying fake pairs,
1.Make sure the sneakers are wrapped in the type of paper the brand provides and not in plastic or tissue paper.
2.Check the inside tag for the SKU no.s in the sneakers to help check if they are real online.
3.Take note of the smell of the shoe.
4.Check key unique features of the Original sneakers online before you go to buy.You’ll be on the lookout of those features when buying a pair.
5.Original sneakers are imported with a Show Box each in it’s own box.
6.Don’t be in a rush to purchase a pair and forget to compare with the Original.
By: Vincent Kimathi.
Am Self-centered 