4) Ewing Athletics
In the 80s, the trend was for NBA players to receive a basketball shoe model created specially for them from their sponsor footwear companies. Patrick Ewing, the top pick for the 1985 NBA draft, took it a step further by starting his own shoe company, Ewing Athletics, in 1989. This allowed him to step out with a fresh model every season premiere. It was all well and good till 1996, when the hype around Ewing’s shoes was flailing as the aging NBA star was losing his shine. Fans of Ewing Athletics around the world were in despair. A cult following of the brand ensued and people began collecting the leftover stocks worldwide of Ewing Athletics shoes released from ’89 to ’96. As the demand for Ewing Athletics grew, Patrick decided to relaunch Ewing Athletics with the objective of “cater(ing) to… fans who want the original models produced true to form with authenticity and with respect to the heritage of the line”. In 2012, Ewing Athletics released the 33 Hi Model to a handful of retailers around the world. Expect the cult following to expand this year as Ewing Athletics regains its market share in the sneaker world.