Shopping for Sneakers Used To Feel Like This
By Sebastian Jean, as told to Jake Silbert.
In menswear, sneakerhead culture has been on the outs for a while. You just don't think of hyped drops and stylish clothes as being on the same wavelength. But, walking into Third of June, you realize that they actually coexist quite naturally. They just needed the right person to pair them, like a sneaker sommelier.
Third of June discreetly opened this past June (yes, the third of June). When you enter the space, it feels like a menswear speakeasy, but without the kitsch. The front is dedicated to Tuft, a popular barbershop, while Third of June is in the back. When I visited, I was first greeted by the team and then by racks lined with a well-curated selection of contemporary menswear and sportswear. Just-dropped sneakers were casually but thoughtfully displayed throughout. An episode of The Sopranos was being projected onto one wall.
The thing that Third of June gets right, and something that came up when I spoke with founder Victor Kan, is the idea that while sneakerheads’ taste in clothing has matured, their love for sneakers didn't go anywhere. So, the store's concept is: how do you get the guy who’s now into A.PRESSE to feel good about the sneakers that got him into the game?
Nothing wrong with wearing Paraboots or derbies but when you grew up as a sneakerhead, that part of you doesn’t just disappear. Once a sneakerhead, always a sneakerhead.
Third of June is a really interesting attempt to explore that intersection, combining an established love with a modern one. And I think the sneaker buy is where it really nails it.
Instead of lining the walls like at a traditional sneaker boutique, Nike Air Zoom Huaraches, retro Jordan 13s, and classic Air Force 1s instead pop up sparingly throughout the space, each pair a small surprise — almost like a game of sneakerhead whack-a-mole. It’s all the stuff you remember wanting as a kid, but this isn't just a nostalgia play.
Third of June is deliberately stocking the shoes that stop you in your tracks because you haven’t thought about them in years. But you still want them.
It's proof that sneaker culture can thrill as much as a well-curated menswear boutique.
Even the store's location plays into that feeling of discovery. Third of June is downtown but not in the usual shopping circuit. Located in the old West Village Margiela store at 801 Greenwich Street, the slight removal gives it similar destination-shopping intrigue to Ven Space in Carroll Gardens or Dover Street Market in Murray Hill.
There’s something exciting about that, especially when the product is this considered.
You come here specifically because you trust that there will be something worth finding when you arrive. The distance makes it even more rewarding. That sense of discovery is something that sneaker retail used to be really good at, back when finding the right shop was almost as important as finding the right shoe.
And this is the right shop. It's no small feat to successfully slot throwback basketball shoes into contemporary menswear without making a big deal out of it or making it feel like high-effort “fashion." These are two great tastes that don't always taste great together. But, when done right, you get this feeling of “Oh, shit, I didn’t think about that." Third of June gets it right.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit our SHOPPER page and subscribe to the newsletter for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.
