The Dictator | Where the cool kids buy their sneakers in Hong Kong
Mong Kok’s Sneaker Street (Fa Yuen Street) and Causeway Bay are your best bets. Also, where to buy father-and-son matching swim shorts for Father’s Day
My nephew is coming to visit and he is very into trainers. Where do all the trendy people in Hong Kong buy them? Are there any special shops or brands that he can’t find at home?
Sneak Peek, The Peak
The Dictator: Wow! So you really know nothing. A good place to start might be Fa Yuen Street, also known as Sneaker Street, in Mong Kok. It has both stand-alone stores for major brands including Nike, Puma and K-Swiss, as well as multi-brand retailers such as C.P.U., Toronto Sports and Walker Shop.
Smug readers will have already snorted, “I knew that! What a stupid question!” Well, cool your heels, folks. While it may be a treasure trove to many sneakerheads, it can also be overwhelming for those accustomed to more organised stores and customer service. Besides, dragging an impatient teen through the repetitive rows of trainers in the Hong Kong heat and humidity when all they want is Nike VaporMax is probably not a good idea. Ask what your nephew is looking for, then call ahead.
Well worth a visit regardless is Dahood, the strip’s coolest chain store, which is good for limited editions by Vans, Adidas, Nike and Reebok among others (60 Fa Yuen Street). Then hot step it to Causeway Bay, as long as it is after 12.30pm and before 10pm, when the stores open for the cool kids to do their shopping.
Among the best of the many trainer stores dotted around is Hong Kong’s own NikeLab (7 Pak Sha Road). Aside from rare finds, it also offers bespoke services. Also not to be missed is Juice (9 Cleveland Street), where the selection includes Buscemi, Visvim, Tier 0 Nikes (which means the most limited of limited editions), Les (Art)ists and more names you’ve never heard of.