The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the three reminisce on the sneakers they wore in college, along with the regrettable outfits and tendencies toward extreme matching that they went through in that period. We're talking absurd streetwear graphic tees, "Olive" Air Jordan 9s to go with your brown Lacoste polo, and green 10 Deep pants in the same color as your SB Dunks. The co-hosts also discuss which Yeezys they'd actually wear, Ye h...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 116
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they welcome Carlos Sanchez, aka SneakGeekz, to the show to talk about his history as one of the first sneaker YouTubers doing in boxings. Sanchez discusses his highs, lows, fake sneakers, Galaxy Foams, and how he got out of the game to invest in Bitcoin and focus on crypto. Also, Joe returns from Miami, Brendan visits Aime Leon Dore, and Welty keeps his workouts going. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 115
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, they talk about the hype around the Air Jordan 1 "Rebellionaire" and whether the sneaker was actually any good. Also, the co-hosts discuss the best Nike SB Dunk box colors of all time and get into some upcoming Air Max 1 releases. Brendan also takes some time to explain his mutilated face and the car accident that caused it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 18, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 114
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, they talk about New Balance's collaborations and the sustained energy around the brand's lifestyle sneakers. Beyond from the recent heat by partners like Joe Freshgoods and Salehe Bembury, the co-hosts reflect on the last 15 years of special edition NB collaborations from Solebox, Concepts, Hanon, Burn Rubber, and more. Also, Brendan relives a tense situation in Times Square and Joe plans for a ve...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 113
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, they reminisce on viral sneaker moments, trends, and memes from "What Are Those?" to the Chef Currys and Air Monarchs. The co-hosts break down moments like the "Damn Daniel" Vine video and John Geiger's infamous 'Red October' Nike Air Yeezy 2 stunt, feeling out how they've aged years later. Also, Brendan is forced to pick between Tom Sachs and Tinker Hatfield, and Welty (kinda) gets a shoutout fro...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 112
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, they're joined by record label exec Steven Victor, who's been instrumental in Pusha T's career, Nigo's recent return to music, and much more during his decades in the music industry. Victor talks about helping Push sign with Adidas, his personal love for the Jordan 6, and more. Also, the hosts ask him for his take on Drake's Adidas deal that Pusha leaked during their battle. Hosted on Acast. See a...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 111
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week the three guys discuss the best and worst moments over the history of high-fashion sneakers. From the Gucci Tennis 84 to the Prada Americas Cup to the Dior x Air Jordan 1 and Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1s. And everything in between. The guys also talk about Mache's first New Balance collaboration and whether or not it's OK to eat six-day-old pizza. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...
Feb 11, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 110
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they are joined by Shawn "Pecas" Costner, a music industry veteran who now works with Dwyane Wade at his agency, CAA AMP. Pecas traces his history in sneakers, reliving the time Kanye West gave him an early pair of Nike Air Yeezy 2s, a sneaker tradeoff he had to make to get a DJ to play the right music, and spilling wine on Fat Joe's $600,000 couch. Also, the co-hosts talk about their time in the s...
Feb 04, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 109
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, they welcome Suraj Kaufman, owner and founder of Sneaker Room, a Jersey-based store known partly for its charity releases with Nike. Kaufman talks about going from being a reseller to getting on Nike's radar and partnering up with signature athletes like Victor Cruz and Kyrie Irving. Also, he discusses his role in the infamous Fat Joe fake sneaker saga surrounding the "Entourage" Air Force 1 and h...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 108
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the three return from the holiday hiatus to take a look forward at the sneakers releasing in 2022. The co-hosts break down the most anticipated sneakers in the year ahead, touching on big releases like Drake's first Nike collaboration, the "Fire Red" Air Jordan 3, and more. Also, an admission on the omission of the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 and a discussion on just how hard that sneaker wil...
Jan 21, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 107
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne and Matt Welty. This week the guys host Sonny Vaccaro, one of the most influential sneaker marketing executives of all time. He single handedly changed the way sneaker deals were ideated, created, and executed. Sonny Vaccaro was responsible for some of the most impactful deals of all time such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The guys get into how he got his start, his relationship with some of the big brands now, and his ...
Jan 14, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 106
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne and Matt Welty. This week they're joined by Marcus Jordan, Michael Jordan's youngest son, and sneaker retailer. They talk best moments of The Last Dance, memories of growing up in the Jordan household and, of course, lots of sneaker stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 07, 2022•54 min•Ep. 105
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the trio is guestless as they discuss the best sneakers of 2021. In this last episode of the year, the co-hosts explain the rationale behind Complex's choices for the top-ten sneakers of the year and run through the whole list. They also add in a few of their personal favorites that deviate from the list. At the top of the show, Joe and Brendan recall their recent trips and Welty gives a brief upd...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 104
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. Their guest this week is Super Bowl champion and one-time Nike signature athlete Victor Cruz, who talks about his new sneaker project with Pierre Hardy. Cruz also discusses getting his own Roc-a-Fella chain, buying fake sneakers in high school, and meeting Virgil Abloh for the first time. And, he puts a public service announcement out there about his Comme des Garcons x Nike Air Foamposite Ones that went mis...
Dec 10, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 103
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this episode, they are joined by Trinidad James, a member of the Complex family and Full Size Run co-host. Trinidad talks about his Hommewrk brand and landmark first sneaker collaboration with Saucony, explaining exactly how the shoes happened and reliving the moment he sold out of them at ComplexCon. Also, the co-hosts discuss Joe's squandered rollerblading career and reflect on the impact Virgil Abloh h...
Dec 03, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 102
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this special bonus episode, which was filmed live in front of a studio audience at ComplexCon earlier this month, they are joined by Gentry Humphrey, the legendary Nike and Jordan Brand exec who retired from his role as VP of Jordan footwear in September. Humphrey reflects on his long career, from the first Air Jordan retros to creating a Nike signature shoe for Allen Iverson to battling trolls on NikeTal...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 17 min
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. They are joined this week by Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, who brings with him some exclusive Asics collaborations to unveil around his brand's 10-year anniversary celebrations. In addition to breaking down the "Salmon Toe" and "Leatherback" Asics Gel Lyte Vs, he talks about how much supply chain issues have disrupted the footwear business, sneaker trips to Tokyo, and that lost feeling of opening a box and seein...
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 100
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, they bring on professional BMX rider and friend of the program Nigel Sylvester for a conversation from ComplexCon. Sylvester discusses the new deal he signed with Jordan Brand, his days going into Supreme to buy SB Dunks, and his love of the Air Jordan 1. Also, the three cohosts talk about the best booths at ComplexCon, the best food at ComplexCon, and the outfits they put together for ComplexCon....
Nov 12, 2021•58 min•Ep. 99
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, they welcome back a friend of the show Premium Pete, a renaissance man who's gone from sneaker retail to podcasting to pasta sauce to acting and everywhere in between. Pete joins the crew to share footwear stories—like how he got Air Force 1s while locked up or his stash of 400 pairs of MF Doom x Nike SB Dunk Highs—and reminisce on his journeys. Also, the gang cracks open some Manhattan specials, ...
Nov 05, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 98
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the trio return from their brief week off to discuss smaller sneaker brands like Hoka and Salomon as well as generally recap the sneaker-related things they've been up to. This includes some reminiscing on the golden era of soccer cleats, stories of run-ins with sneaker industry insiders like Steven Smith and Frank Cooke, and a hypothetical around letting Virgil Abloh bless your Off-Whites. Plus, ...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 97
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, they are joined by Jim Moore, the legendary GQ creative director who spent four decades at the magazine shaping how men in America dress. Moore talks through his career and points in it where sneakers interacted with his work, from shooting with Michael Jordan in the late 1980s to helping push athletic footwear to a new space in the wardrobe of the modern man. Moore also discusses his...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 96
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, the trio is joined by Bernie Gross, creative director at New York sneaker boutique Extra Butter. Gross recalls his journey in the footwear industry, from buying SBs at stores like Special Sauce in Long Island to helping longstanding LI sneaker shop Renarts establish itself anew with Extra Butter. He breaks down what running a sneaker store really takes—from handling chaotic releases t...
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 95
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, the trio is joined by Abdul, sneaker scene mainstay with powerful friends and a powerful collection. You may not know exactly who Abdul is or what he does, but you've definitely seen him in the background or at the front of the line at footwear happenings around the world. In the episode, he talks about his 30 years collecting shoes, dirty white Air Force 1s, whether or not Mids are a...
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 94
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, the hosts discuss how big their personal sneaker collections are and how often they've reached the point of having to downsize. What do you do when you have too many sneakers? Is a storage unit for your shoes really a good idea? What's the best way to donate footwear that you're not using? The questions are relevant for anyone who's spent years amassing sneakers at an unreasonable rat...
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 93
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week’s episode, it’s just the three guys debating their pick for the sneaker of the summer for 2021. Dunne makes a case for Nike Dunks, as a whole, being his choice, while Joe brings up why the Travis Scott Jordan 1s were a force to be reckoned with. Welty sides with Dunne, but zooms in on Virgil Abloh’s the 50 project. Joe Freshgood’s New Balances and more are discussed this week, too. EPISODE CHAPT...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 92
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, the hosts are joined by battle rapper Conceited, who is a longtime cast member on MTV's Wild 'N Out. He goes into his sneaker history, recalling the time he lost a pair of "True Blue" Air Jordan 3s in high school, the fakes he used to spot people in, and how much time and money he's spent on getting the rare shoes that makeup his collection. ESPO x Nike Air Force 2s? He remembers them...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 91
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, the hosts are joined by Dennis Todisco, the lead of streetwear and sneaker partnerships at Instagram. Todisco brings with him stories from his long time in the industry that stretch from the era of selling Dead Serious hoodies at Karmaloop to the dawn of the Nike SNKRs app to his founding of Outfitgrid. He gives rare behind-the-scenes insight into life at Nike, discussing the moment w...
Sep 03, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 90
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, the hosts are discuss the history of Travis Scott's sneaker collaborations, from his Air Force 1s to his Air Jordan 4s all the way up to his most recent projects, his duo of Jordan 1s made with Fragment Design. The hosts discuss their favorite sneakers that Travis has released and which ones they think made the most impact. Also, they tackle the question of Travis vs. Kanye West in th...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 89
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. In this week's episode, the hosts are joined by Bobby Hundreds, co-founder of the Hundreds, to discuss how footwear can exist in the metaverse. Bobby breaks down his thoughts on sneakers as NFTs and expounds on his idea that a screenshot of a "Got Em" on SNKRS for a pair of Travis Scott x Fragment x Air Jordan 1s is just as valuable as the real thing. Also, the group discusses the tragic shooting of Shoe Pal...
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 88
The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the three co-hosts sit down with Mache, a sneaker customizer who has done work for rappers like Wale, NFL stars like Stefon Diggs, and wrestlers like Kofi Kingston. Mache reacts to Nike's recent lawsuits against custom sneaker designers, explaining how he thinks those entities could move differently in order to avoid legal action. He also breaks down a new footwear business he's entered—making his...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 87
