Chronicle Editor
Simba Jemwa, Showbiz Reporter
Hundreds of people are expected to get together for an opportunity to exchange, buy, flaunt or talk about all things sneakers at the forthcoming Bulawayo Sneakers Expo.
Organisers of what has become a popular event for sneakerheads in the city have announced the venue of the second edition. The Barn, which is the perfect place for all-weather settings, both indoor and outdoor will be the place to be on October 22 for the event that was launched in May last year to celebrate footwear trends in the City of Kings and Queens.
The barrier-breaking duo of Mlamuli Moyo of Woodies Shack and Mthulisi Moyo of Wood Affair who founded the event believes, with passion, that their love for sneakers allowed them to create the ultimate event that captures the essence of the culture of kicks which was and still is the only one of its kind in Zimbabwe.
“We’ve been talking about the Bulawayo Sneakers Expo for a minute with dates being confirmed, but now, we can confidently advise both exhibitors and visitors that we have a venue! This year, the expo will be held at The Barn which is a perfect venue for us as it has the capacity for both indoor and outdoor events so the weather cannot and will not stop this show from happening,” the Moyos said.
Through hosting this event, the duo hopes to create a platform for sneakerheads to score major deals while interacting with bigwigs from the sneakers market.
“After all, the vision behind this event is to build a network that will become a regional conglomerate of enthusiasts, lovers, and bigwigs out of the sneaker market and the various domains related to kicks. We want it to attract experts and professionals in branding and lifestyle, event production, design, communication as well as marketing. We want them, with their respective expertise and know-how, to be part of our network – that’s what will make the Bulawayo Sneaker Expo the leading platform for sneaker-related topics of all kinds.
“At the end of it all, we want to gather insights from so many different places – with local and global perspectives on the sneaker scene alike,” said Mlamuli.
He said even though they were not deliberately trying to come up with something huge when they started, their expectations were outmatched from the get-go.
“The number of people participating in our first event was overwhelming and far beyond our expectations. However, the success we have achieved does not mean that we’re not staying true to our roots – a genuine enthusiasm and curiosity in sneakers and the culture that comes with them. We continue to combine this unique appreciation with a professional and customer-oriented attitude – and thus provide great experiences to brands, clients, and to those who are a part of the community,” added Mthulisi.
The duo also revealed that they have partnered with Bulawayo’s top sneaker plugs, Dave Feliate aka Diva and Leroy Waps.
“We have engaged sneaker plugs from Harare to exhibit at the expo. Bulawayo’s top fashion brands such as City of Kings, Stars 29, DeJavu and Ndebele Crush will also be present to complement the fashion trends.
“We will also entertain our sneaker enthusiasts by having awesome artistes at the event and performances from various DJs who will be confirmed at a later stage.”
Expo attendees have been encouraged to take their old pairs of sneakers to the event to donate and stand a chance of winning a brand-new pair.
“The old sneakers will be donated to a charity yet to be identified,” the organisers said. – @RealSimbaJemwa
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