Sneaker District opens in Abu Dhabi: inside the new shop and social hub

Spread across three floors, the shop is home to a basketball court and cafe

Sneaker District has opened its doors in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Sneaker District

There is a new sneaker destination in town.

Home to the latest kicks, clothing and even a basketball hoop, Sneaker District has opened its doors at The Mall at World Trade Centre Abu Dhabi.

The new warehouse-style space hopes to attract ‘sneaker-freakers’, with the latest must-haves and collectables displayed on industrial style metal shelving hanging from the ceiling, and behind walls of glass.

With graffiti strewn walls and bare concrete floors, Sneaker District celebrates the urban history of trainers. Spread over three floors, the 35,000 square feet space boasts an indoor basketball court, which is open for customers to play in, and an in-store cafe.

Created with UAE sneaker company, youbetterfly, customers can expect to shop Air Jordans, Yeezys, Louis Vuitton X NBA, to name just a few of the brands on the shelves. The new space is open seven days a week.

Far from being just footwear, the sneaker industry is booming, as growing numbers of collectors scrabble for the most covetable pieces.

Seen as being outside the normal boundaries of fashion, sneakers retain an element of rebellion, despite being worth $21 billion in the US alone.

Even the sneaker resale market is growing. With increasing numbers of collectors buying two or more pairs of hard-to-get styles, driven by a one-to-wear, one-to sell mentality, analysts Cowen Equity Research estimates that the resale market alone could be worth $30bn by 2030.