Sneakers and sapes: what is the bootleg and how does it work?

By werdt18/10/2022519 Views

We were all confronted with the bootleg at least once in our life.Indeed, who has never seen someone rock a pair of Yeezy 350 in the colors of Gucci or even nike models stamped off-white when they have never seen the day IRL?In short, that collabs, each more improbable than the others, and which sometimes make us laugh a lot.On paper, one might think that the bootleg is similar to copying.But in fact, it's more complicated.In reality, bootleg is the reappropriation of what brands do to create a new product.You just have to recover the famous Vuitton monograms or the prints from Gucci to affix them on a t-shirt, and voila.

When we think of bootlegs, it comes to mind immediately the questionable copies of Wish.However, some renowned designers have also made practice their livelihood.This is the case of Demna Gvasalia.The artistic director of Balenciaga and founder of the brand "Vetements" is known to take over logos in his "creations".Among the most memorable we find the Mastercard -style Balenciaga, or the X -DHL clothes.More surprising, the latter went so far as to resume the graphic identity of the 2016 presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders ...

If the CV is less snoring than that of the Georgian, you may have already come across the inspirations of Imran Potato.In the middle of the bootleg, Imran is just as well known as Gvasalia thanks to its covers of Vuitton monograms in flashy colors.Lately he printed them on a model of Yeezy Foam Runner.A pair he particularly likes, as here in his "Lobster" version.

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The diversion of sneakers (and not only) is not new.Without being able to establish a start date of the phenomenon, one of the first known bootleg dates back to 1985 with the Jordan 1 blood.The pair takes up the Shape and the Colorway of the Air Jordan 1 OG with the exception of the Swoosh, replaced by an arrow-shaped logo similar to that of Off-White.Among the other emblematic bootlegs, we find the Baesta (2002) of the Japanese brand "A Bathing Ape", inspired by an Air Force 1 and popularized at the time by Kenye West, Pharrell era Nerd, or the Daft Punk.Finally, for the nostalgic for the G-unit era, the Reebok S Dot Carter model launched by Jay-Z in 2003 according to the Gucci tennis 84, should necessarily tell you something.

Sneakers et sapes : le bootleg c'est quoi et comment ça fonctionne ?

At that time of the paper you may be wondering if we can always talk about bootleg as the examples given are covers almost identical to the originals.It is true that when brands like Fugazi by Trevor Gorji take the design of an air Jordan 1 with the "One in the Chamber", the border between diversion and the copy is difficult to define.

What do the brands think?

Insofar as the principle of the bootleg is to create new parts, brands tend to let the questionable recoveries pass, because it also happens that they are inspired by them.We think of Gucci on several articles X Disney, as well as others from his "Guccy" collection.The brand of the LVMH group even went even further by approaching the New York artist Dapper Dan.In the 80s, Dapper Dan was a figure in hip-hop culture.He is considered to be the king of logomania for his covers monograms of large houses such as Vuitton or Gucci.26 years later, in 2018, the Italian luxury brand decided to associate with it with the release of a collection taking up its bootlegs of the time.

But stories do not always end as well as this.Sometimes the brands rebiff.Recently, Nike did not appreciate seeing his image being associated with the Devil with the Air Max 97 Satan of Lil Nas X and Mschf.And this even though the “Jesus” model containing holy water in the air bubble released a few months earlier did not seem to be any problem ... In fact, it all depends on the hype around the model and the possible benefits forthe brand.Because in some cases, bootlegs can relaunch the craze around a pair.If Nike decides one morning to release an Air Max 97 with colors similar to those of the "Jesus Shoes" imagined by Mschf, the Oregon firm could make a card as it did with the Jordan 1 Mocha shortly afterThe release of the Jordan 1 Travis Scott.

The condition is always not to go too far in the diversion.Above all, not to take advantage of it.Waren Lotas knows something about it ... The artist of Los Angeles, who made himself known for his clothes taking up the logos of the biggest NBA franchises, learned it at his expense when he wanted to start in theSneakers design by reinterpreting the dunk in her sauce.Warren Lotas then took up some iconic colors like those of the Dunk Heineken or Pigeon.It is precisely this last model that will burst the controversy in the summer of 2020, as soon as its founder Jeff Staple shares the creation of lota on his networks.

Nike's reaction is not long in coming.In a statement the brand explains "Warren Lotas intentionally created confusion, and it tries to take advantage of it, using the Dunk brand recorded by Nike".A complaint is downright filed against him.Finally, Warren Lotas decides, for those who have already pre -ordered the false dunk, to send them a completely different model to the completely revisited impact and without any trace of the Swoosh.The WL Reapper was born.Despite him…

The attack is at the good will of brands.In the early 2000s, when the passionate graffiti artist Ari Forman released the Ari Menthol 10s, an AF1 bootleg with multiple references to Nike (reverse swoosh) and especially to Newport Tobacco (packaging in the shape of a cigarette pack), thisis not the Oregon firm that falls on it but Newport Tobacco.The Cigarettier brought him several trials, all lost by Ari…

Copy or genius, the bootleg has not finished making people speak in a fashion world deemed in lack of inspiration.The diversion is sometimes associated with sampling widely used in hip-hop culture.Is the real question, diverting to improve or magnify it synonymous with copying?The trials brought by the marks respond in part to the question.

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