Freaking for Sneakers

Athletic-shoe lovers are bingeing on vintage kicks, one-of-a-kind designs and limited-edition pairs

By 9:35 on a recent Friday night, Dominique Thomas had been camped outside the Niketown store in South Miami for two full days. Thomas, who goes by the street name DK the Line Pimp, had flown in from Denver and was first in line to buy the $100 Cowboy Air Max 180s, which were scheduled to go on sale at 10 that night. Just 140 pairs of these limited-edition sneakers--a hunter green, lizard-skin design with a light pink Swoosh--were manufactured, and they would be sold only at the Miami store and only that night. As a snaking line of mostly young men...

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