For sneakerheads, footwear is an extension of their true selves. In fact, every pair in their ginormous collection carries a piece of their true nature.
People buy sneakers for various reasons. Those who dress for comfort, truly appreciate the soft soles, which are perfect for long walks. Others love showing off flashy colors on their feet while a more distinct group is in high heaven when they can acquire a limited-edition pair. This team of sneaker lovers does not mind, queuing outside stores for hours just to purchase their rare shoes.
The good news is Carousel Philippines now carries Ox Street the newest playground for local sneaker lovers, Ox Street is the fastest-growing end-to-end marketplace for authenticated sneakers and streetwear in the region. Instead of procuring the pair of their dreams on their own, via FB messenger, which leads to meet-ups, sneaker fans now have a legitimate and truly reliable platform where they can resell or buy quality sneakers.
And while authenticity is a major factor, when purchasing limited edition shoes, with Ox Street, users are assured of the security and authenticity of sneakers that they will buy or sell.
Ox Street founder and CEO Gijs Verheijke explains, “Imagine a casual buyer meeting up with seller or standing in the store, what will you do? You cannot ask the seller, if it’s authentic, of course, they will say ‘yes,’ You can’t authenticate on the spot, you need to compare it to several pairs or have the real thing with you,” he said.
With Ox Street all pairs are shipped to an authentication center, where a team of experts compares them to the real product, or to a database of the picture. He added that the process also has a “secret sauce” that guarantees the pair’s authenticity.
Gijs started the company in 2019. After spending years in finance, and building marketplaces he decided to revisit his love for sneakers. “I remember when I was ten years old, my classmate had a pair of Air Max Ones. the whole idea of walking on air was the best thing in the world. I didn’t have any money and the shoes were too expensive. I started delivering newspapers and doing odd jobs so I can buy the shoes that I wanted. Since then, I tend to accumulate too many shoes,” he said.
Although he loves shoes, he emphasized that he is not a collector, the ones who buy a pair only to be displayed inside a glass case, with strict instructions to keep it brand new. “I wear every single pair I buy. For me, it’s more about self-expression.”
When he moved to Singapore, he remembers having problems procuring limited edition shoes. With his experience in marketplace building, topped with his fascination for comfy shoes, Ox Street was born, ‘I felt like it was the natural thing to do,” he said.
Before the platform, sneaker collectors had to source shoes on their own, most of the time from shops like Titan or from independent online sellers via Facebook. If you happen to pass the Titan store in BGC and wonder why there was a long line of people even before the store opens, they are actually collectors who are eager to get their hands on a limited-edition pair.
“Can you believe resellers actually hire people to line up for them” shared Ox Street Marketing Manager Jasper Delegencia. “With Ox Street there is no need for long queues, buyers are sure to get an authentic pair even if the transaction is done online. “People can sell on the platform and it’s very safe because we authenticate everything that comes in before it reaches the buyer.”
Buying rare shoes is no longer an underground activity, no need for a secret meet-up. High up on the platform’s agenda for the Philippines is reaching out to local users for feedback. “We’re taking part in relevant events and gatherings. We are also partnering with various local brands to help small Filipino businesses.
Ox Street is part of the Carousell group, the leading community marketplace platform.