Sole of the City: Kansas City’s Got Sole

Written By: Brandon Kendrick
Photos By: Ryan L. Benjamin & Brandon Kendrick
2014-04-16 23.51.33From the souls in our hearts to the soles on our feet, KC Sole has taken the Midwest sneaker community by storm. KC Sole is an organization made up by young adults who are passionate about sneakers and the sneaker culture. KC Sole was founded in Kansas City, MO by President DeMarkus Coleman and five other sneaker enthusiasts in 2012. In the spring of 2013 the members, with the help of their street team and a few other promotional teams, hosted over 1100 attendees for the inaugural KC Sneaker Fest event. The success was major for the sneaker community in Kansas City because it was the first of its kind in Kansas City and those attendees braved the snowy conditions to support the event.

This year they came back for part two with more anticipation than a Jordan Retro 11 release date. The 2014 Sneaker Fest was held on Saturday, March 29th at the Municipal Auditorium. It is safe to say KC Sole repeated as the sneaker convention champions of the Midwest. Nearly 2000 attendees over, 75 vendors, and 160 tables sold. This event brought out the who’s who in Kansas City and the Midwest; from professional athletes such as Dontari Powe of the Kansas City Chiefs, sneaker legend Jumpman Bostic, and even the rapper Tech N9ne was in the building. The success is purely a product of hard work and dedication. In a city that has had its fair share of crime; it is truly a marvel to see a group of young adults put together a positive event for Kansas City. “We wanted to give our community something to look forward to instead of the violence that has plagued our community daily” said Coleman.

kc sole sneakfest

The Sneak Fest is forever evolving from Hypebeast to collectors of all walks of life; KC Sole has had a great impact on expanding the culture in Kansas City. KC SneakFest 14 was a huge success and the event continues to be the premiere sneaker expo in the Midwest. When asked about the evolution of the sneaker community in Kansas City Coleman replied, “I personally think it has changed, some for the good some for the bad. “ Coleman pointed out that due to the supply in demand many people are purchasing shoes not for the love but for the resell value and taking shoes that are sought by real sneaker heads. The positive impact is involving the teenagers with something that they can be proud of as well as showing the teenagers how to give back in a positive way to their communities.

With the success of KC Sole has achieved community involvement has remained consistent and they pride themselves in giving back to their community. They have held sole drives each convention and donated several hundred shoes. They have also mentored high school students and participated in back to school supply drives, and toy drives for the holiday season in the Kansas City area. The future is looking great for KC Sole and with plans in the future to expand to other cities; KC Sole will be taking the country by storm in no time.

For more info about KC Sole visit www.kcsneakfest.com
Follow @KCSole6 on Instagram & Twitter

Photos after the jump

 

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