The Complex Sneakers Podcast

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the three unpack the saga of Zadeh Kicks, the Oregon-based sneaker reseller who’s been accused of scamming customers out of millions after shutting his business down. They also discuss the upcoming Tom Sachs x NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe, the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 collection,...

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they are joined by Jeff Staple, a sneaker and streetwear designer who has worked with Nike, New Balance, Tag Heuer, and whose brand is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Staple talks about his legendary Nike Pigeon Dunk SB, turning down a job offer from Nike, the current NFT space as it rela...

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they are joined by Salehe Bembury, a sneaker designer who’s worked with Versace, Yeezy, Payless, New Balance, Crocs, Anta, and more. Bembury talks about his approach to design, how his sneakers are doing on the resale market, and teaching Andre 3000 how to make sneakers. Also, the cohosts reminisce o...

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they are joined by Christopher Bevans, who was just named creative director at Eddie Bauer. Bevans has a long history in sportswear that includes helping Kanye West make his first pair of Nike sneakers, designing Roger Federer’s logo at Nike, and helping out on the Nike Kobe collaboration with Stash....

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the three have a long conversation about Marcus Jordan’s infamous Trophy Room x Air Jordan 1 release fiasco, how it affected his reputation in sneakers, and the spicy photos circulating on Twitter. They also break down the “Mambacita” Nike Kobe 6 release and reflect on the career of Peter Moore, the...

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the three touch on the Union x Air Jordan 2 fiasco, from people’s cards getting charged for pairs they couldn’t get and the accusation that the sneakers were backdoored. Infamous reseller Benjamin Kickz makes a brief cameo via FaceTime to discuss his involvement. Also, Joe and Welty reflect on thwar...

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they're joined by Lukas Bentel, a chief creative officer at the Brooklyn art collective MSCHF. Bentel brings with him the recently released Wavy Baby sneaker, a Vans-lookalike model that is the latest MSCHF creation to earn a trademark infringement lawsuit. He defends the shoe, discusses the controve...

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week they talk about DJ Khaled's newly unveiled "We The Best" Air Jordan 5 collection, Fragment x Air Jordan 1s, Drake Nikes, and other top-tier collabs. The co-hosts discuss the merits of these shoes and whether being a collab alone makes them exciting. Also, Joe celebrates a birthday with a pair of gliz...

The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty. This week, the three hosts talk about sneakers they want to see come back, like Arnold Schwarzenegger's Nike lifting shoe, the Nike Air Burst, and the Joe-favorite Air Zoom Citizen. They also reflect on the early days of Nike Flyknit, which launched 10 years ago now. Joe gives a breakdown of the latest Kith tr...

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 De...

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 Mi...

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 ca...

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, B...

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, Br...

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 h...

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 col...

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 mus...

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 discus...

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...

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 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.

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...

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...

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 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...