MANIFEST DESTITUTE

Photo: Hypebeast

As you know, Saturday May 31st was a huge day for Sneakerheads in the Boston Area. With the release of the Concepts Lobster Dunk, Harvard Square was invaded by over 300 passionate people hoping to get their hands on the Nike Dunk that our friend Rob Heppler and Concepts designed a little more than year ago. The "Camp Out" began on Wednesday@10pm when 5 Brooklyn kids parked their foldout chairs outside the store on 37 Brattle Street. By Thursday night, the line had grown around the block making of this an unprecedented event in Boston. When we saw the line that night the chances of getting a pair started to fade faster than Donald trump's hair.

Photo: Hinagiku
On Friday afternoon when we finally got a chance to make it to Harvard, we became the 130th person in line. For a couple of minutes we started feeling self-conscious about about being the last on line, but knowing that the person in front of me flew in from Chicago made me realize the wait was gonna be worth it. A couple of hours went by and Catie was kind enough to Bring us Pizza and some cold ones. Throughout the night people stopped by wondering what we were waiting for, but by the end of the night they began to get answers ranging from Jenna Jameson's book signing to tickets for the Sex & the City premiere (which also happened to be down the street).

Photo: Dreamsrey
I do admit that camping out for sneakers might seem ridiculous to some, but seeing the determination that these kids had, to camp out for days, actually deserves a lot of credit. As one camper said to an older "highly educated" woman questioning our actions: "Lady, At least I'm not smoking crack or stealing your car!" Needless to say, Harvard Square began over analyzing us like an anthropological experiment.

Photo: Tina L.
The atmosphere however was friendly, some people brought us Candy, some of the other businesses brought us water and energy drinks. By the end of the night the Corner of Brattle Street and Church Street had become a full-on Block Party. In between cars people threw around footballs and shared stories varying from Basketball Stats to inappropriate Youtube videos. Friendships were formed through this experience and people bonded not only for their love of sneakers but because the last 12 hours were a hell of long time.

Photo: Tina L.
When the morning came back on Saturday, euphoria kept everyone going. The lobster truck showed up early giving people a taste of what was to come. Lobster rolls and Clam chowder were served to us while on line by the staff at concepts making this experience even more special. For those of us who were lucky to get a ticket the night before, waiting just became a celebration. For those who decided to sleep on their own beds, he tension grew as the line began moving. By the time the doors at concepts finally opened, 300 people stood in single file awaiting the moment and cheering for the Brooklyn kids when they came out holding the boxes like a heavy weight championship belt.

Photo: Tina L.
Our friends at Concepts did an amazing job not only designing the packaging for the shoes, but really making sure this event went smooth and without problems. Special shout out here for all the staff at concepts, but in particular Jimmy, Deon, Cheddah, Frank, Natalie and Chris for making sure everyone was happy with what they got. Like it wasn't enough though, Graffiti Legends and Friends of Concepts, Stash and Futura joined the Celebration signing the limited edition (50 total) Wooden Boxes. A raffle put a nice end to the festivities with 37 limited posters and some Shirts given out to the lucky holders of the tickets. Again, Congratulations to Concepts for the Show they put up and Congratulations to all of those who waited patiently. We all got definitely something to remember here!

ps: with all the commotion going on in the Square, we didn't even open our package till we got home, and i gotta say, it was like Christmas over at Casa Manifest Destitute.