The Bootlegs Before the Bootlegs

2020 has been a bootleg year, but in the sneaker world, the early 2000s were rife with Air Faux 1s.

Yesterday YG debuted his “4Hunnid The Flame” sneakers on IG, which are pretty much bootleg versions of the Nike Cortez. Let’s just say the reaction was…mixed. But it does bring even more attention to how unofficial reinterpretations of recognizable sneaker silhouettes (namely Air Force 1s and Jordan 1s) have become a vital part of the visual conversatio…