I’ve just gotten into sneakers.

I’ve relegated sneakers to the handful of times I’ve worked out, airports, and walking to and from Metro.

I nice wedge elevates my frame, slides are great if I’m actually in the office, and ankle straps are my default cute option.

I’ve never felt like a sophisticated, youngish, urban professionalled adult wearing them in polite society. I don’t even wear them at dockside cocktail parties in Annapolis when the ladies wear white and boat shoes.

So, I’ve never taken them seriously, and I’ve never ever considered buying a user pair.

I’m a little older now, with fewer F’s (a compromise from El Jefe for the actual word) and a shiny pair of Nikes fits in with the well heeled set on the rooftop of Hi-Lawn.

Sneakerheads Are Getting Fleeced

The US Department of Homeland Security seized from $37 million of KiRF sneakers in 2019. These sneakers come from Hong Kong, China, and other points east where they are cheap to make and easy to get through customs. Even though DHS is seizing fake sneakers, many knockoffs can be found on the streets in Georgetown (next to those fake Rolexes), online, and the ever more popular mall resale stores.

Sneakerheads are sick of buying day old foot biscuits and a new company called CheckCheck is using AI for sneaker verification.

CheckCheck is a mobile app using image recognition technology to double check the hot, used sneakers you want to buy. CheckCheck searches its large database and makes sure you don’t drown in fake drip after paying hundreds of dollars for rare sneaks.

CheckCheck was started by sneaker resellers, Arnold Luk and Edi Abramov, and have authenticated a staggering, $500 million in rubber soled footwear.

CheckCheck claims authenticity is verified in 15 minutes or less with a human checker making final verification. The founders say AI was needed because authenticators relied too heavily on their sight and, yuck, smell to determine if sneakers were the genuine article.

Thanks to CheckCheck, sneaker heads can sleep soundly at night knowing they made a sound investment in their new, used streetbeaters.

For more details on CheckCheck and downloading their app, read the really great Complex article featuring them.

-MJ