Kicks for the soul

"I think that the popularity of Chinese sneaker brands is growing very quickly. In my previous role at Li-Ning, I saw how local brands have been investing big in sneaker culture education," he says.

"Recently, many talented Chinese designers have also been leveraging sneakers to tell local stories, and they have been very well received by sneaker lovers."

While Li-Ning is still generally known for their affordable sportswear, some of their sneakers come with a hefty price tag. The purple Li-Ning Way of Wade 2013 sneaker-the company has a lifetime contract with NBA star Dwyane Wade-is currently listed on the Chinese resale platform Nice for 16,999 yuan.

Telling the fakes apart

From the 1990s up until a few years ago, most of the reselling in the US was through e-commerce platform eBay and classified advertisements websites such as Craigslist. But as fakes started to proliferate in the market, doubts about the authenticity of the shoes sold online grew, resulting in the emergence of online sites like StockX, GOAT and Stadium Goods. Besides connecting sneakerheads with resellers, these sites also provide authentication services.