The scene was chaotic.
Scuffles, crowd movements and firefighter sirens disturbed the green Cours de Vincennes on the afternoon of Wednesday April 12 in Paris.
Those who played spoilsports?
The Air Max 95 Nike X Corteiz sneaker and the thousand fans and collectors who hoped to grab it.
For its latest collaboration, the giant Nike has indeed teamed up with the sharp British streetwear brand around this pair of limited edition sneakers.
The launch took place in the purest tradition of the label: announced on social networks the day before, a treasure hunt leads to an ephemeral point of sale.
On Instagram, the brand first met on Place de la République.
There, written on the side of a bus,
geographical data redirected the crowd to the 12th arrondissement.
This is where the situation got out of hand.
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"Six injured, a miner trampled, fights"
On some images captured by local residents, we can see a gathering which frames, on the roadway, the flocked bus which is heading towards the address in eastern Paris.
On others, violent clashes between buyers around it.
Still others represent a human tide that rushes into the point of sale, while the iron curtain is still in full ascent.
In total, the event left "six injured, a miner trampled, fights", as David Belliard, Deputy Mayor of Paris, wrote on Twitter, before condemning Nike and "its advertising agency" for their " irresponsibility".
The elected official assures that the town hall did not receive a request for authorization before the event.
The protagonists of this practice of "
wild drop
», or a surprise sale, are customary for the fact.
Event sales
Less than a month ago, on March 21 in New York, police had to cut off traffic when hundreds of people gathered at the corner of Avenue C and 4th Street.
They were also trying to get their hands on the famous Air Max 95s with the Corteiz logo representing the Alcatraz prison.
Very popular, the brand created in 2018 is known for its event sales that drive fans, collectors...and retailers crazy.
By purchasing a pair at 190 euros, they hope to resell them two or even three times their price on the secondary market.
A common practice in the streetwear universe, but condemned by the creator of Corteiz, the British-Nigerian entrepreneur who responds to the name of Clint.
In vain.
The art of War
It is that, to create emulation around its products, the boss of Corteiz knows how to do it.
In January 2022 in London, for example, he offered his customers to exchange their designer down jacket for his latest “Bolo” model during an operation called “Bolo Exchange”.
Hundreds of people had responded, parting with their jackets for a new Corteiz.
Clint is actually part of a business strategy called "guerrilla marketing", which consists of surprising consumers with an unexpected launch.
Thanks in particular to these one-of-a-kind sales, with each new launch, the desire swells.
However, slippage is never far away.
And as in Paris on April 12, the "guerrilla" can quickly take precedence.
