Sneakers. They are available in all colours, shapes, patterns and materials. From thousands of well-known brands and prices that vary from shoe to shoe. But alongside the huge selection of sneakers, is also the community of sneaker lovers. And in this community, whether on Instagram, the big websites, at stores and so on… people like to throw around some strange sounding technical terms with a lot of fun. To give YOU the chance to understand the sneaker terms, there is finally this blog!
Here are the most important sneaker terms
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is sought after by many sneakerheads and is an important sneaker term. What does it mean? A sneaker with immeasurable value is called a Holy Grail. Either you already own this type of sneaker or you have been looking for it for a long time because it is so hard to get. An obvious criterion for a Holy Grail is in any case the price. After all, the more expensive, the rarer this shoe is in most cases. The value can therefore be an individual and ideal one. An example for a Holy Grail is the Nike Air Mag "back to the future":
True to Size
An easy one, this means perfectly fitting or with a normal appearance. When buying a sneaker, you often look at the size chart of the manufacturer and ask yourself the question: "Does the shoe fit? Will it be bigger, smaller or normal? True to Size means that you can trust the size given. So whoever wears size 42 should also buy size 42 with a true to size sneaker!
If you want to know more about the different sizes, take a look at our sizing guides!
Cop or Drop
What that means now is often asked on Instagram and the stories of real sneakerheads. The question "Cop or Drop?" is usually asked when you are unsure whether or not to buy a certain sneaker. "Cop" or also "coppen" is then called "buy" in this case. In contrast, "drop" or "dropping" means "dropping" or "not buying" the shoe. Also in our release calendar you have the choice for each shoe: Cop or Drop? And every week we will present you your Top 3 Cop Sneakers once!
Raffle
Reminds you of the word "battle", doesn't it? So the word Raffle is one of the most important sneaker terms. A Raffle describes a kind of competition. When it comes to Raffles in the sneaker scene, it is usually about competitions in which the winner wins the right to buy a certain and very desirable sneaker. Retailers then arrange Raffles for extremely rare releases. However, the winner does not get the shoe for free, but only wins the chance to actually buy the shoe!
In order not to miss such releases, have a look at our release calendar. There you will be informed about new releases of the coolest sneakers! You can also read about the Sneaker Raffle in detail in this blog.
Sneaker Custom
So the shoe is not off the rack? That's right! Then your shoe has been transformed into a work of art. Custom = made to measure, a product that is not available anywhere else and is usually only available once. A real unique specimen! A "Customiser" therefore has a sneaker "customised". That means completely renewed and personalised by hand. Customisers often use completely new and striking colours and materials to turn a simple, mostly white sneaker into a real eye-catcher!
Air Max Day
Air Max Day? One of the sneaker terms? You should know what that means! Can you see air? Since 1987, many have witnessed it. Because since Nike's Air technology has become a very important part of their sneakers, they dedicate a whole day to them. Nike continues to develop countless sneakers with the comfortable cushioning and groundbreaking technology. Since the event of the 80s should not be forgotten, Nike has been celebrating the development of the Air Max every March 26th. On this special day, many and various Colorways or very special editions created with great designers often appear.
And also in our Sneaker Collection you will find a huge selection of the Nike Air Max in so many cool colours and different models!
OG-Colorway & Retros
OG stands for "Original". An OG-Colorway is the very first Colorway, respectively the very first colouring a certain silhouette has ever got. A "Retro" on the other hand does not necessarily denote an OG. Retros are releases of shoes that have already been sold in this colourway, are released again and do not necessarily have to wear the OG colourway.
On feet
Perhaps a little confusing for outsiders. In the sneaker world, however, a very important term. "On feet" means in the figurative sense as much as "on the feet". These are mostly photos and pictures of sneakers, which are also worn at that moment. For most sneakerheads the "on feet" photos are relevant to be able to look at the shoes on the feet in a slightly different and more precise way. How they look like when worn and if they fit on your own feet. That's why shops and retailers also produce on feet photos at the same time, so that the buyer can get a better picture of the shoe.
Sample
Samples are shoes that were made for preview. Mostly they are prototypes of future releases. Thanks to Instagram and all other social media channels, samples are often "leaked", so that the sneakerheads have an early idea of what releases they will be getting.
Hypebeast
These are people who always have or want the latest and most limited sneaker releases or clothes. The friend who goes after what is currently being hyped the most and which sneakers are currently being discussed the most in the social networks? Yes exactly, that is a hypebeast!
SO, are you smarter now and do you feel like you belong a little bit more in the sneaker world, because you understand some sneaker terms now? I am glad about that! Then you are now ready to check out all areas with us and be inspired and have your say. Have fun!
