EPIC SNEAKER STORE CRAWL in SHANGHAI, CHINA - Life of Sneakerhead | Fung Bros

I'm holding a $3,000 Li Ning. That's right. This is almost a $3,000 Li Ning. Yo, what's going on everybody? Welcome to a international episode of Life of a Sneakerhead. We are in Shanghai, China right now. And as you guys know, China is known for manufacturing a lot of the world's sneakers. You know, the real ones and the fake ones. But in today's video, we are going around the city to some of the newest shops and some of the craziest shops with our friend Jay, AKA Shanghai Soul, who is a local sneakerhead. And we're gonna talk about how Shanghai is actually one of the most competitive sneaker cities in the entire world for real shoes. All right guys, this is a Shanghai Exclusive Hardin 3. This is a Shanghai Exclusive Nike shirt. Let's go. Okay you guys, we are in People's Square. This is like pretty much the center of the city. And we are going to be going to the Shanghai Nike Innovation Store. They only have two in the world. Boom, boom, boom. All right here, we're inside the Nike store. This is the House of Innovation. Can you, what are they trying to do here? This is only the second location in the entire world. There's one in New York. Yep, one in New York, one in here. And basically what they want to stress is they allow people to customize their shoes. Not just in the Nike ID way, but previously I did a pair of Jordan 1s over here. They allowed you to hydro dip. You could deconstruct the Nike swoosh on them. You could do all sorts of crazy stuff with it. The famous thing that went viral was when Jeff Staple came and did a hydro dip 720, right? Yep. And what is hydro dip? It's when you put a print over water and then you dip the shoe. So if you were to dip the water, you just dip the shoe in and then you let it dry. It sets like a film on top of it. It like wraps around the shoe. Oh. It's a Xiaolongbao. Xiaolongbao Nike shirt that copped. Yo, going on a haul guys. Oh, this is a Shanghai chow mein. Man, I feel like this one, I feel like people are going to think that you work at a restaurant though with this shirt. Okay. This is cool. All right, so on the basement floor right now, normally this is where they do all their creative stuff. And as you can see right now, they're doing like a photo shoot and they have 360 degree cameras. Man, you ain't got no hops. This looks like the future. This is a Nike fair. Andrew, I am a fan of the Jordan 33. This is a pretty cool looking shoe. This is based off the Jordan 3. Really dope shoe. It has a cool traction pattern, but there's slippage here. For me, I have narrow foot. I don't like how it kind of pulls on my foot, but the shoe is dope. I love the white color. One thing I know about the performance shoes in China is that usually the forefoot is a little bit wider and then the rubber outsole is made out of the XDR rubber because it's made for playing outdoors a lot more. Because people in China, they play outdoors. So this is stuff that you won't find in the States. We have the Friends color, Kyrie Friends. This is a street brand, Street Couture, Bandalou. This is a new colorway. It's pretty dope right here. Yo, I gotta say, you guys, this is my favorite GR AF1 to come out in years. And just, they got the shape of it right. If you guys know uptowns and downtowns, they look a little different. But in fact, when we go back to the States, I'm gonna get them. Okay, two shoes that look very similar are the BB Adapts. And then the, these are the Mamba Focus. So this is kind of like what your takedown Kobe model, you know, it's more affordable. Very small zoom unit right here, but looks pretty good. Obviously this is like the version that's like three times as much. Yo, the Flyknit 4s. Yo, I think Nelson, Nelson, you're gonna love these. The 4, when it's leather or suede, is a very bulky shoe. So the Flyknit could be the way to go in terms of ventilation. You know, what's really interesting about these is the zoom air is sewed into the sock liner versus the midsole. Yeah, it's right below your foot. So you really feel that pop. But you still have the video of you two. Not gonna lie, I love my heart in threes, but they're not good for jumping. This is the first KD in a while that I actually like. We've got the Klott 98. Klott, as you guys know, is the first Chinese streetwear brand out of Hong Kong. I think this is a cool shoe. All right, so right now we got a lot of the samples that have been made in the customization spot right behind this wall. You can actually peek in and you can see people putting sandals together, putting shoes together. We're in China where they manufacture a lot of shoes and they sell it out, right? And then we're in Nike where obviously everything's legit. And then in the back of the Nike store, we actually have people pretty much making shoes legitimately. They're customizing it right now, man. You set up an appointment over at the front desk, you book a time, whenever it's convenient, you come in, you get an hour and a half, an hour. They teach you some things that you can do, some basics if you want it. They can help you if you need it. Otherwise, you're on your own back there. So then this is the Jordan 1 I created. This started off like this. It's me working on them. Oh, yo, that picture looks tight. Putting them together. Okay, so I detached the sole, turned it into a 3M, add the laces, change the tongue tag, and then I designed and colored it myself. Okay, so we are looking at the customizable lace tip options that they have here. They say Shanghai on the lace tips. This is really cool. This is like another level of customization. These haven't dropped yet. Had not dropped yet. Ooh! They're pretty tight. This is interesting looking, from the sole and everything. No, this definitely reminds, this got, I mean, pretty much fresh Prince of Bel-Air type vibes. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. Guys, I'm gonna press a button. Ah! Stretch, stretch. Stretching the fly wire. This is pretty cool, man. They would so not have this machine in America. Well, people would break it. Some kid's gonna get hurt. Yo, Jay, where are we at right now? Because we're on Tongrenlu, right? So right now, we are in the heart of the city. This is just a very expat-friendly street where this store right here, Dou, has been here for a couple of years now. And this is one of my favorite stores in Shanghai. Let's go check out one of the stores that's like the forefront of Chinese streetwear right now. Let's do it. Good to meet you again, man. What's up? So you're one of the owners here at Dou? Yes, one of the owners. When did you guys start Dou? 2014. How's it been since 2014? Like the progression just bigger and bigger every year? We're not really trying to expand the business that quick. We have our trademark, which is SH. SH stands for Shanghai, and it's more like a dollar sign. So this is more like a message to the teenagers. Say, hey, don't be go digging. Don't look for like fast money. So sometimes the high quality products and lifestyle, not necessary to be very fancy or rich or expensive. So we did this, and to show some of the Air Max we like in the past years. If you attach some of the modern things into that, respect the heritage and history, and then look for the future. Yeah, because it's not like you have to pick one or the other. This is why we are an energy store. You said energy store? Energy, yeah, just like... You guys set the tone for the energy. We're not trying to make trailblazers. We're trying to lead. Isn't that kind of go back to what you were saying right when we walked in where you said you guys had a slow growth strategy deliberately. This is something makes us really different, and consumers are not stupid. They can see that. They will be like, oh, you guys are doing things seriously, and then you always think about us. You always coach us. Just like you said, you came here and I explained some of the design. You feel like you get some knowledge. This is our daily job, and try to coach, and try to influence the younger generation. Real. Like, it might just even, just to see Chinese people do it. Let's keep it moving. Where we at? So right now we're on Xingle Road, and you want Travis Scott, you want Sakai's, they're all down here. And is it, I gotta ask, are they selling real stuff? I wanna say yes, because I feel like, because there's so many sneaker stores out here. It would start shading each other, right? Yeah. So what's this spot right here? So right here, no school. You don't like the name because you're a teacher, so go to school. That's right, stay in school. All right, man. Let's check this one out. Yo, so these prices right now on these, man, Cactus Jack, Flea Markets, Vapormaxx's, they're going for about 1,000 for our sizes, but it's because it's a women's shoe. You like them? I like them, man. I like the upper. I like this little, you know, detached Nike sign. I thought this detached Nike sign that was connected by what is it, like flywire? Yeah. This was super creative. What do you think about these? This is like one of the hottest shoes right now. Yeah. I mean, like, so what's crazy is that these came out right after the Sakai's. It's got that same, you know, kind of like that waffle feel to the bottom. For people that struck out on the Sakai's, they copped these. Right, right. What do we think about these Benassi slides, but with the, you know, fanny pack on them? The pouch? This is creative. I've actually never seen these before, man. All right. So here's the thing. You could keep some money in there, but you also might lose your slipper. So I think you've got to watch out. Because these fly off, you know what I'm saying? I think people keeping something else other than money in here. This street is actually pretty dope, man. This reminds me of like Sherlon in Hong Kong. Super hipster district. Yeah. To be here. You got Sasquatch jumping out. All right, Jay. We are outside of only one of five Nike labs in the entire world. This store has been here for like five, six years. And this was the only sneaker store on this street. But I think for that reason, they dominated. I mean, when there was like a super limited release, people would be lining up, sleeping, camping out down this street. When LeBron James came last year, he stopped by the store. He released the John Elias here. But on the second floor, it's their kind of like creative space and where they do exhibits and stuff. But normally it's just the first floor that's open. Nike lab, a staple of Shingla Loop. So we are right across the street from Nike lab and we're here at this new SUP store. Yo, when did this pop up? A month ago. Okay. Yo, I remember when there was only the Nike lab in this J01. What do you guys make of these different fear of gods? So these two were the ones that did the best in China. I heard it's kind of weird to wear cause this opening is so big. How does it stay on your foot? It only stays on your foot right here? Yeah. Oh, back here. Yeah, then you got a tab here. What do you guys think of these Air Raids? I thought it's like, it looks very wearable in a way, but in a way, like just the fact you'd have to strap them up every time. I had the OG Air Raids, man. So this doesn't do it for me, man. First of all, I feel like globally, number one shoe, especially in China. I think when Yeezy said that he wanted everybody in the world to wear Yeezys, to have a pair, he actually just meant everybody in China and everybody in China has one. Everyone in the States was like Yeezys are dead. Dude, they're coming back. Full fledged. Like these are fire, man. I thought about getting these. My buddy got a pair of the reflective ones and it looks like this, but when you take a flash, the entire shoe lights up. So it's like 3M sort of. It's 3M sewed in. Wow. If you really want them, man, just get them. I can't do it. I can't do it here. I actually really love the green one. Everyone likes the green one. The green Sakai is amazing. In the States, they're going for about 350, 400. I would say in Shanghai right now, they're going for like 400 to 500. Yo, David, sometimes when I see a fresh pair of Weatherspoons, I forget how they look when they're fresh because our pair is so beat up. They look amazing when they're fresh. All right, Jay, David, thoughts on these Sakai Blazers? A lot of people did not like these. Look at the heel. It's like one, two, three, four, five, five heels. Kind of like a Picasso, right? Where the things are all mixed up. I didn't really like these Lakers to Chicago's when I saw them in the picture, but actually seeing them in person and feeling it, it looks, it feels pretty premium. These sell at probably around 350, 300 right now. These are tight. Guys, what's up store? All right. Okay, Xie Xie. You know what I love about Shanghai and especially on the street that's modernizing so quickly, like Xingle Lu, is that you still see some elements of just like Lao Shanghai. The way things were done 80 years ago, 90 years ago, 60, 70 years ago. Obviously people cutting watermelon on the street, not just enjoying themselves. This is really dope. Okay, we made it to another store. Looks pretty dope. All cheers. A lot of sneakers in here, man. I was like, they're all Saran wrap. They're trying to, you know. It's going to be a little, it's going to be a little pricey though. That's for sure. It's going to be pricey. All right, we've got some special kicks. These are the Soul 97s. Yup. Justin, what do you think, man? Soul. Great. I like the other ones. These are the Shanghai 97s. I feel like undoubtedly, you know, no bias. These are actually way better. I would rock, I would rock both of these. But man, we actually have the Shanghai 97s. They mean so much. I just want to use them as an art piece. Okay, so when we're talking about kind of fusing Chinese culture, you know, with Western brands, we have the Klott 13s. Klott 13s. I got to say, this is a pretty interesting shoe. So it's a men's shoe. This is just like a GS size right now. Right. And that, so you got the Klott label right there. And then this is supposed to represent the terracotta warriors. That's their armor. That's their plating. Cause they're stone colored, right? You know, I think some people like have accused Klott in the past of just like throwing sort of like Chinese-y things on things. And I think that some of that criticism has been warranted, but a lot of it isn't. And I think that this is actually pretty cool. Is that the way of Wade? Yeah. Yo, the way of Wade's bro. These shoes are not cheap. And they don't feel cheap. His shoe, the way of Wade series is actually really high quality. It's a good shoe. So I just asked about the price. 2,800 USD. I'm holding a $3,000 Li Ning. That's right. This is almost a $3,000 Li Ning. Before. Yeah. Oh man, they got, dude, who would have known way of Wade's were so hype? Yeah, look at this Wade's, man. Obviously you got to talk about the Travis Scott's, but then I actually really like these turbo green. These are fire. I got to say, these are absolute fire. They did a good job of the discussing. And then, so this is exactly the same. Look at that. It looks faded. It looks a little retro. Yeah, it looks worn down. The only issue is I don't like how they labeled it. It's like, I felt like that. Fake off white. Well, they were trying, yeah. Let me tell you guys this, you guys. And I know people are going to be like, yo, Fumblers, you guys don't even keep up with the game. Like you used to. I was in line in 2000, almost getting robbed as a kid, buying Jordan ones in 2000, okay. So like, this is something that's interesting to China and like in Asia, not so much in the States. So right here, these are the Game Royals, right? And a lot of people love these because they look like these, right? And these are the Fragments. And these go for, right now, they're probably $3,000. A lot of people are customizing them to make them look like the Fragments. In Chinese, they have a nickname. So they're called Baby Fragments. They're called Xiao San Dian, which is these are Da San Dian, right? So it's like, that's the kind of stuff that people in the States don't realize. It's like, you come up with nicknames for the shoes. All right, on to the next store. Okay, we are finishing it off here at Soul Yao. And I think this place is special because it's unlike any of the other sneaker stores on this street because they have stuff from maybe like four or five years ago. This Florida Seedling sneakers. So it reminds me of like a mini flight club. Obviously not as hardcore, right? Yo, guys, can we first look at all the winners here? They're all kids. These kids was probably here for hours, man. Or they're so good at video games. They're probably good at this. All right, all right. I got to decide on which shoe I want. I actually really want. Go for the Yeezys, bro. I'm going to go for the black Yeezys, okay? Desert. Oh my God. I'm so, I was so off. I was not even close, man. Man, my heart's beat. Hold on, hold on. Don't hit up yet. Trust me, the bottom has to clear. Go. Hey, David, David, David. I think we really like this store and I know why you like this store because you play a lot of ball. And they actually have a lot of actual, actually good performance basketball shoes. Even the 18s here. Oh my gosh, man. 30.5. Damn, everything. Yo, look at it. Like they got some classics up there, man. They have all the Jordans. 28s, man. They got, yo, let's walk up here real quick. Oh man, they got all the Kyries. D-Roses, Drees, Kyries. What's the story behind these? It's just a collab with a European company called Woodwood. Yeah? And it's just, yeah, it's just no laces. This is one of the original collabs with Ultra Boost. Yo, you guys, thank you so much for watching that international Shanghai episode of Life of a Sneakerhead. I definitely took a lot away. I mean, for me to have gone, you know, did a study abroad 12 years ago in Shanghai and to see where it's at now is mind blowing. Back then, it was almost hard to find real shoes. Almost everything was a replica. Nowadays, they got, you know, the one of five Nike Labs, one of two House of Innovations. It's like they almost moved from the back of the line to the front of the line. You said you haven't been out here in 12 years. I've been out here for eight years now and in the eight years I've been here, everything's changed. It's crazy, like how fast it changes in Shanghai. Throughout this sneaker crawl, we saw all types of things and there's literally something for everybody. Like the old sneakerheads, more and more traditional, there's sneaker shops for them. And then obviously just for the hypebeast kids, there's sneaker shops for them. And I just think that you have a range of everything and that's what I was really happy to see. I mean, think about it. All the world's goods were made in China for a number of years. It's like, it was bound to happen because they were making everything here. Right, just like you said, the consumerism here is out of control. It's just going up and up and up and up. And you know, it's just a matter of time before people in the outside world, people in the States, people in Europe, realize that, man, China and Shanghai is super competitive. And it shouldn't be a place that's only known for replicas and fakes anymore. All right, Jay, thank you so much for taking us on that Shanghai sneaker crawl. We know that there are some things that we did not get to cover, but we had a limited amount of time. Mind blown. Hey man, appreciate it. You guys gotta come back. Follow Jay on Shanghai Soul on Instagram. Hey, and until next time, everybody, we're in Shanghai. We out. Peace.