Style
Here’s your chance to buy the rarest sneakers from HBO’s ‘Entourage’ show
Including the two Air Force 1s from the iconic episode 'What About Bob?'
Before the streaming giants began chasing the streetwear and sneakerhead market, Entourage dedicated a storyline to the then-niche subculture way back in 2006. In the season three episode “What About Bob?” Turtle does everything he can to get ahold of a pair of Fukijama Air Force 1s, a Nike collaboration with a fictional artist created just for the show. When he strikes out, Vinny uses his Hollywood might to get Fukijama to create a one-of-one pair just for Turtle — and both pairs would eventually become grails in the real world.
Sotheby’s has announced a small auction lot of Entourage sneakers, including the two Air Force 1s that were eventually sold to the public in collaboration with Undefeated. Another pair of the”Fukijama Gold” AF1s sold for $88,200 in another Sotheby’s earlier this year, setting the record for the most expensive Air Force 1s. The sneaker is now estimated to fetch between $60,000 and $90,000, while the blue version pulled from the same episode estimated at a final price of $12,000 to $14,000.
Rounding out the three-sneaker lineup will be a pair of Nike SB Dunk Lows made as a friends-and-family exclusive for the final season of Entourage. It comes with a box signed by the entire cast of leads — Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara and Kevin Dillon — and is expected to sell for $10,000 to $12,000.
A throwback to simpler times — If you go back and watch Entourage’s iconic sneaker episode, you’ll find that Turtle, then framed as foolish, was actually quite prescient. Barbs are thrown at him throughout the episode by the guys, including E sarcastically saying “good investment strategy” when Turtle says he might by every pair of the limited-edition sneakers. Vinny heads to Undefeated along with Turtle and, shocked at the line outside of the store, says, “I don’t get it — all this for sneakers?”
Non-sneakerheads probably thought the same thing upon viewing and would be shocked to find out how much the commemorative Nikes are worth today. Had Entourage continued running, a more contemporary storyline may have seen Turtle become a reseller to the stars a la Benjamin Kickz.
Sotheby’s auction will be open from November 1 through November 11 on its website and will also include other Nike sneakers that have paid homage to the show throughout the years. And if you’re in Los Angeles, you’ll be able to check out the kicks in person at 6 p.m. November 1 in an opening reception for Sotheby’s LA galleries.