A Soho store, Supreme, cancelled the sale of the new Nike Air Foamposite 1 out of concern for public safety, after an estimated 800 people lined up outside the store Wednesday night. By 7:30 p.m., the police shut the store's street down and dispersed the crowd.
The sneakers were scheduled to go on sale at 11 a.m. Thursday, and cops had set up barricades to control the crowd. Witnesses told the New York Post that some in line were maced by the police. No arrests were made. The $250 shoes were expected to resell for as much as $1,000 a pair.
“Due to concern for public safety, NYPD has forced us to not sell the
Supreme/Nike Foamposites and accompanying clothing in our New York
Store,” Supreme, located at 274 Lafayette Street, announced in a statement. “These items will be available on
supremenewyork.com tomorrow at 11am EST.”
Rioting and violence have caused issues at midnight sneaker releases
in the past. The Nike Air Foamposite 1 was originally launched in 1997
as a signature model for Penny Hardaway.
The sneaker was to have gone on sale Thursday only in New York City, Los Angeles, London and online. The sneakers reportedly sold out on Supreme's website almost instantly Thursday
morning in both black and red, as did the coordinating basketball
jersey.
The New York Post story is here.
