My Summer Lair Chapter #294: When It Comes To Fresh Kicks Which Sneakers Are You Elusive White Whale?
At StockX Stephen Winn is the Chief Product Officer: “I run Technology: Product, Engineering, Design, Information Security, and IT.” That’s some excellent nerding.
StockX serves as an online marketplace, a sneaker resale platform facilitating auctions between sellers and buyers. For sure it sounds like eBay.
However, a major difference between the two platforms is knowledge: many of the buyers and sellers on StockX are passionate sneakerheads.
There’s a massive difference between going to a flea market and buying a cool random painting vs going to a gallery to specifically purchase a painting by a specific artist. Which may or may not be…art. #NotArt
Stephen and I talked at Collision Conference in downtown Toronto; a technology conference kinda like SXSW just without the tasty tacos.
(This was the last one in Toronto. The Conference has now moved to Vancouver and rebranded as Web Summit Vancouver.)
Based in Detroit, Stephen has been growing the StockX technology team and the site; especially the backend.
(One of the StockX investors is Dan Gilbert. He owns the NBA team the Cavs and he is the co-founder and majority owner of Rocket Mortgage. Born in Detroit, Dan Gilbert is an unofficial mayor of Detroit due to his investment and development in the city’s development.
When I was recently in Detroit; talking to a local citizen downtown he pointed out building after building after building say with each finger point: “Dan owns that building. And that building. And that building.”)
StockX started with sneakers―many, many fresh Jordans―but has expanded into numerous categories: collectibles, watches, apparel, trading cards, electronics, Stephen has more to say about that.
I was so curious about StockX because I want to know how we got here. That’s a question I ask often.
How did we go from Air Jordans in the ‘80s to a global streetwear market worth billions?
And it is global, Stephen confirmed that. His dynamic position at StockX gives him this incredible window to see how streetwear ebbs and flows worldwide; what’s hot and what’s not.
Here in North America we grew up enmeshed with Michael Jordan and NBA games.
In 2022 when I was puttering around Cairo, Super Bowl LVI was on…at 8 a.m.! You can’t participate in the traditional Super Bowl party with spicy chili and spicy wings and adult beverages at 8 a.m. (I guess technically you could. But that’s a heavy breakfast with a lot of acid burps to kick off the day.)
After decades of Nike commercials and billboards, NBA games on in the evening…we’ve established these deep cultural roots.
If you grew up in England in the ‘80s and ‘90s…sure you know who Jordan is. But you don’t know him the way we know him. You don’t have the same history and those strong connections and associations like we do.
(Conversely, growing up in England creates deeper cultural roots for soccer that we simply lack here in North America. To us Man City sounds like a strip club for women.)
Stephen wasn’t a sneakerhead when he started at StockX and yet you hear a lot of passion and enthusiasm. It’s a lot of work and yet he’s having a lot of fun. He also reveals the fresh kicks he’s rocking. (And I’m kicking myself for not taking a photo of his dope sneakers.)
Enjoy this conversation as Stephen and I…wait for it: kick it. Fresh!
StockX @ W • T • F
Host Sammy Younan
Recorded: Wednesday June 19, 2024 at 11:30 am (EST)
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