ETHAN SAYWELL

It is often the case that people who love something enough often craft a business out of that love. Ethan is one of those people.

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It all started back in High School, where he would buy used sneakers, clean them up and resell them on Facebook or Instagram for a small profit… aiding his personal investment into purchasing more sneakers.

Ethan’s love of sneakers started out as a young teenager watching YouTube fashion clips from London and America but to be good at on-selling, you need to know what sells. You also need to have a good network of people you trust when purchasing, as Ethan says he has been burned.

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If you didn’t know, the hype around sneakers has been around for a while and even a Netflix TV series on the craze called Sneaker Heads. Ethan tells us that in the early days of the sneaker craze, some people would camp outside stores for two days waiting for a new sneaker drop.

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Ethan’s first job was delivering flyers for a property manager, and he still does this on occasion to help pay bills and because he likes to keep busy. He ventured into supplying stores around New Zealand with sneakers to be sold on consignment before taking the next big step and opening his very own store called ‘Hype Pieces’ in Five Lanes at the BNZ Centre.  He said he had his eye on the BNZ site for a while before taking the plunge.

What’s in the future? Well, he says at some point, getting a bigger store and maybe even opening a second store is on the cards. One thing is for certain: opening this store has provided Ethan with a sense of accomplishment and turned his love of sneakers into a business, so all power to him.

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If you are one of those people with a sneaker habit, then this is a must-visit for you while in the Central City.