It’s impossible to separate sports from pop culture and fashion anymore – they’re one in the same. Nowhere is that clearer than in the world of luxury sneakers and streetwear, and nowhere is the scale of the business surrounding them clearer than the online marketplace, StockX.
StockX is the self-proclaimed “Stock Market of Things” that has grown since its inception in 2015 from the dream of a few visionary sneakerheads to one of the biggest new forces in global ecommerce since Amazon.
But StockX doesn’t just provide a marketplace for fans of sneakers, luxury goods, art and streetwear to resell their purchases at a markup to customers worldwide – StockX also provides the critical service of authenticating each product sold.
In just a few short years, that small green plastic tag denoting authentication by StockX has come to be worth more than its weight in gold to fans looking to buy much-hyped deadstock goods with confidence online.
But online wasn’t enough. To reach their sellers (and potential customers) more directly, StockX has brought its brand to the temporary brick-and-mortar world of pop-up retail – creating StockX flagship “stores” where sellers can drop off shoes for authentication and shipment to their end purchaser, all handled by StockX at no extra charge. No small luxury for sellers looking to unload as many as 100 pairs of sneakers at a time (and there are many of those).
After successful turns in New York, Los Angeles, hometown Detroit and faraway London, StockX turned its sights on Chicago. That’s where rEvolution came in.
Looking to make a splash in market in the window of Summertime Chi between ComplexCon and Lollapalooza when “the culture”’s eyes would be firmly affixed on Chicago – StockX came to rEvolution to help bring to life a buzzworthy and true-to-brand experience right in our West Loop/Fulton Market backyard.
The space was imagined not only as a drop-off point for sellers and a brand touchpoint for consumers of all kinds, but as a partial gallery – complete with museum-style displays of sneakers and products specifically chosen to tell a Chicago-centric story, a lounge area and plantlife. The space has played host to programming as well – with fireside chats from notable Chicago cultural luminaries such as Don C., Louis De Guzman and Benjamin Edgar.
Those who visited the space early were able to take advantage of one-day-only concessionaires window, trading Instagrams in the space for StockX merch, sneakers, or store credit.
Check out the StockX pop-up at 936 W Fulton Market through Sunday, August 4th.