What’s up, y’all? As I pick back up on my interviews with sneaker connoisseurs and professionals, I had an opportunity to chat with Kenneth Anand and Jared Goldstein, authors of “Sneaker Law V1” and “V2,” for this week’s “Kickin’ Facts” column. As they continue to celebrate the success of the second iteration, the authors talked about how they hope their books bridge the gap between design and the business law side, inspiring a new generation of creators, and the kicks that got them in the game! Let’s get into the exclusive interview below.
What inspired the “Sneaker Law” books? Take us through volumes one and two.
Kenneth Anand: Jared and I got together in 2016, and we're talking about our shared love and passion for sneakers, and you know we were both lawyers at the time, and we both sort of knew that there was nothing that existed in the space that married those two -- you know, the legal background of what goes on, the sneaker industry and business, and all these things. At first, we were thinking very small-minded because we were like, “Let's write an article.” Then one day we got together, and we said, “Let's write a book.” It just seemed like such a crazy statement at the time because neither one of us had ever done that, but we saw it through, and I think we cut it up into small steps, and it took some time, but we got it done.
Jared Goldstein: “V1” was a whirlwind. When we dropped it, we got a lot of great feedback. A lot of people started catching on. We were sold in stores such as Kith, Concepts, Bodega, Nordstrom, Nike, and the Virgil Abloh exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art. It started making its rounds and then literally the second we dropped “V1,” we started working on “V2.” So, you know, we have over 40 more legal cases in “V2.” It's over twice the size, and the designs are all new and fresh. We like to say “V1” was like our debut album or mixtape.
What role did each of you play in the writing process?
Kenneth: We split everything 50-50. I don't think there's a single part in the book that we each didn't have a hand in writing. Our writing process is pretty well shared. We'll start with an outline, we'll color code that outline, I'll write the blue sections, and Jared will write the red sections. Then, once those sections are written, we'll go over each other's work, and then we'll go over it again. It's a lengthy process, but the way we collaborate in writing the books ensures there's a consistency of tone. You'll see when you read this book that the way it's written is in slang. It's not written in a way that will go over people's heads. It's very accessible. It's fun and it's enjoyable.
Tell us about dedicating the book to Virgil Abloh. How did he inspire “Sneaker Law”?
Jared: Virgil inspired everything that we've done with “Sneaker Law.” With “V1,” we wanted him to do our forward for the book. We're close to his lawyer, so we floated it to him, and he passed it along to Virgil. He was really into it, but at the time, he had his 3 percent rule that inspired his design, and he thought people would get on him for contributing to a legal book. So, he politely declined.
But, Virgil, his whole way of doing things... like how he would take regular, ordinary, institutional products, and he would reimagine it, you know? He'd ask, "Why does something have to be this way?" And so, with “Sneaker Law,” we thought, “Why do textbooks have to be a certain way? Why does it have to be boring?” So that's what we did. We re-envisioned the whole learning and reading experience. And when Virgil passed, it really had a profound impact on us, and we couldn't have thought of anybody other than him to dedicate the book to.
We're fortunate enough to know a lot of people that were in his circle, so we were able to get that photo of him throwing the kite at his first Louis Vuitton Menswear show. We got that cleared from his photographer and Shannon Abloh, his wife. We're very fortunate to have that and may he rest in peace. Virgil will always inspire us and everything that we do.
How has sneaker culture evolved in recent years, particularly regarding legal issues?
Kenneth: Well, I think [it evolved] a lot. Jared and I always talk about that. When we dropped “Sneaker Law,” all of a sudden people started taking note and being interested in the legal side of the sneaker business. You'd have a couple of cases here and there over the years that people would hear about, but it seemed like ever since “Sneaker Law V1” dropped, there wouldn't be a week that went by without some kind of sneaker case or sneaker litigation or dispute, or something like that. And these conversations became much more relevant and culturally specific.
What sparked your passion for sneakers?
Kenneth: We talk about this every time we do a lecture, because it's important to show the context that we were once fans, and you know, just collectors in the beginning. My first pair that really changed the course of my life, and my interaction with sneakers, was the Air Jordan 5 that dropped in 1990. The Grape and Teal 5s dropped, and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was rocking it. I used to see it in music videos and I finally got a pair.
Jared: For me, it's the Air Force One. When I was a kid, Nelly's "Air Force Ones" song dropped and that instantly got me hooked. I got a pair of all-white low tops and mids. Still to this day, the Air Force Ones are timeless sneakers. You're seeing them on everybody's feet, no matter where you are. That's definitely the one for me.
The book design is very visually engaging and fun, from the symbols on the front to the sticker page and the shoelace bookmark, which I thought was dope. What inspired it?
Kenneth: We’re both very passionate about this topic. We wanted people to feel it and know that it was a premium book that could sit on their coffee table and stand the test of time against other premium coffee table books. So, we came up with this logo, which was inspired by both Metallica and Yeezus. And this is certainly inspired by that style. But it's not a direct copy -- it's a new brand that we've created for ourselves and one that draws inspiration from two different genres, two different generations of music. And then we got the scales with the sneakers on them. That was very important to us -- we wanted to be seen as sort of a credible authority in the sneaker business. So that when you see our cover, you're like, “I know this is legit, like, this has something going on in it.”
Jared: The shoelace we did for “V1,” it was a red shoelace, and we just thought it plays into our whole theme that this is not a textbook. This is also a coffee table book. The shoelace for “V2” is royal blue. Then you have the "Friends and Family" dust cover. The whole theme of “V2” is back to school, so if you go through the book, there's a lot of handwriting font. The quotes at the beginning of every chapter are in handwriting. We have little sticky notes throughout. We have the "S" on the front, which everybody drew when we were kids. So that was the whole purpose of that and then the stickers... I was reading some books to my young daughters, and I noticed that all these books had these sticker pages in them.
So then, a light bulb went off in my head like, “Why don't we do that with ‘Sneaker Law,’ as it plays into the theme of being a kid again?” So yeah, we just wanted to have fun with it, and I think you'll see that as you're going through the book. It's a really fun experience, and you just kind of get lost in it.
What do you hope readers take away from “V2” regarding the intersection of law and sneakers?
Jared: So, we think it's business law design, and sneakers are the vehicle, right? That could be applied across many different industries, not just the sneaker industry. We talk about launching your own business. You can take that information and use that to launch any type of business. But sneakers are that common thread. Everybody wears sneakers around this world, so it's something that all can relate to. It's something that tells a little bit about who you are as a person. It's a fusion of business law and design.
Kenneth: One takeaway that I think we also want people to leave with is independence. This book should empower you to do your own thing, to start your own businesses, to start your own ideas and creations, and to learn how to protect them. The key point for us here is that we wrote this book entirely on our own, which means that we published it and distributed it all on our own. So, today, we say this all the time -- like JAY-Z, we own our own masters, and this book is entirely ours. Nobody tells us how to write it or how we should write [about] any case. There's no outside influence, and we have full control, which is really important.
What advice would you give enthusiasts who are looking to work in and understand the legal side of the industry?
Jared: Read “Sneaker Law,” obviously, and then, you know, just believe. There's a lot of naysayers out there, but you just gotta stay on your grind and stay on your path. When we first started, our first lecture ever was at Harvard Law School. We went straight to the top and people [were] like, you know, “Oh, this is a cute thing,” but if you're not wearing a suit and tie as a lawyer, you're kind of looked at funny. People didn't understand, and then all of a sudden, we're in 40 to 50 different schools.
We're adjunct professors ourselves. So, we say the same thing in whatever business that you're trying to start. Don't let anybody say anything. If you have a vision, go for it and cancel out all the outside noise. And if you believe, you can be successful.
Lastly, are there any sneaker-related projects or initiatives that you're working on?
Kenneth: We continue to do our regular lectures where we visit schools all across the country. We also have some community initiatives that we're working on that, to us, are just as important. When we wrote this book, we didn't necessarily write it only for students who are in school and can afford to go to colleges and universities. We wrote it for the kid on the block who wants to learn this information and needs to know it just as much, if not more, and probably has a bigger passion for this material. That's very important. We just want to continue to see this message get out there to the people who need it the most.
“Sneaker Law V2” was released on Sept. 10 for $150 and is available at SneakerLaw.com.