Con-eventional Sidetrack brings you into an event’s event. Or an ongoing event nearby at the same time. You could say it’s an Event-ception, or Eve-ception.
For more about the event that’s unrelated to this event but sort of the main story, check out A Con-Eventional Story: CosCon 2019
Disclaimer: the author wishes to disclose that this IS NOT A SPONSORED POST, all thoughts are strictly the author’s personal views, and no one else’s.
Credits to the Skechers Malaysia official Facebook for the various links in this post.
I DO NOT own the rights to any of the content provided by Skechers Malaysia, ALL rights belong to Skechers Malaysia.
Introduction
I know what you’re thinking, why the eff is a roadshow about shoes somehow related to something like Coscon 2019?
If I’m being honest, other than the fact it takes place on the same Saturday as Coscon Day 1, it has more to do with the fact the venue is literally 3 MRT stops away in Bukit Bintang to quickly swing by, say hi, grab pics and get the eff out.
That is, of course easier if you’re not scrambling back to the venue trying to grab a photo of the shoebox, because someone forgot to ask about it. (That someone being me.)
Where this at?
Located at Pavilion Bukit Bintang, the prestigious high class mall more famously known as that part of KL that lets you walk to KLCC more than anything else.
Under its brightly lit interior stood two massive Skechers poster rolls, with a crimson orange Monkey D.Luffy and the shoes representing him hovering alongside a generic looking poster of Skechers branded shoes being promoted under the One Piece name.
Straight pass the main door into Pavillion Bukit Bintang, downwards the stairwell where crowds of intrigued folks either sit around the stairwell observing the activity in progress, or get close up to the Roadshow itself to check out the colorful lineup of shoes on display.
Especially the massive maze setup, behind the small ‘stage’ of sorts where lines of patient folks awaited the chance to enter its walled-off premises.
I noticed some folks literally picking up the shoes at the front display, trying to get a closer look at it, with no intent of stealing coming from said folks.
Which makes sense, having half a set of shoes means jack s*** to be used.
How it’d went?
The 4-day roadshow from March 28th to March 31st certainly gave lots of opportunities for folks to drop by the roadshow for quick pics with the cosplayers or the chance to mingle with the maze.
While I didn’t got the chance to enter the maze myself, I did got a nice sort of ‘cheating’ look at the maze area, from up high.
And no, lemme stop you right there, we got to a high point of the mall to grab a shot, not actually get high. >:
According to what I was told by the folks running the roadshow, entering the maze had something to do with the treasure box thing at the front stage, where visitors could use it to win a pair of these One Piece branded Skecher shoes of their choice.
…well, there goes the “What’s in the box?! What’s in the <Censored> box?!* joke.
But hey, it’s not a roadshow unless there’s the thing the roadshow’s promoting to check out yourself, like the shoes!
Here’s a quick rundown of shoe features what character from One Piece,
- Sky Blue with an orange back and black diamonds, features Jinbe
- Bright Yellow with hints of black spots, features Trafalgar.Law
- Crimson Red with a yellow back, features Monkey D.Luffy
- Pitch Black with a green back, features Marshall. D.Teach
- Crispy Orange with an orange flaming back, features Portgas.D.Ace
Also, regardless of which one you choose to buy at the roadshow, or the various branches of Skechers all over the country, you’d get this slick looking shoebox!
Now this is a box you will certainly know what’s in it.
And yes, this is the same shoebox we had to make a second trip to get a picture of.
Credits to the awesome staff helping us that day by the way.
So, what’s up?
According to one of the folks we spoke to, here’s some interesting facts about this roadshow, and the crossover itself,
- The One Piece crossover is not new, this is apparently the second time Skechers has secured the rights to produce another set of shoes under this brand.
- These shoes are featured here are under Skecher’s “One Piece x Skechers D’Lites Collection”
- Shoes under D’Lites shoes are described as Lifestyle shoes, as part of the brand’s interest to expand into making shoes of this type
- The current pool of One Piece Crossover shoes seen at the roadshow are under D’Lites 3, which was one of the few brands that utilized what was described as “Chunky” shoes
- D’Lites 2 shoes featuring One Piece are still available via the US site
- I’m personally unsure if you could ship these shoes via a local Skechers branch in Malaysia, but I suppose it pays to give it a shot if you’re really interested in some first-hand shoes from a previous batch.
- Crossovers with Skechers is nothing new, given the brand’s history of working with various celebrities, groups and other brands before this.
In short, it’s pretty cool to know that a shoe brand was able to work with a company like Toei Animation, the company that owns the rights to One Piece, to make shoes based on that.
A mutually beneficial partnership if you will.
A Closing Encounter
Speaking of mutually beneficial partnerships, it would be dismissive of me to not mention the presence of cosplayers at the 4-day roadshow itself.
Now, I attended the roadshow on Saturday, 30th March 2019, which was Day 3, and depending on which day you’d attend, the cosplayers you’d run into would vary.
Credits to the various cosplayers in the photos, for permission to use the photos taken at the roadshow. From left, GGTwins (Iqbal), Eiji 瑛司, GGTwins (Iqbal), Reina C 瑞娜, Rikka Blurhound
So what am I getting at exactly?
Simple.
In the context of that particular week, the presence of cosplayers from the local ACG scene at a roadshow is frankly, a much needed tonic for the scene at the time, given the aftermath of certain happenings.
And regardless of what you’ve been reading, this shows an interestingly cool relationship between professional industries working with regular folks from the local ACG scene.
Some of the coolest things you can see at roadshows or any non ACG Event where cosplayers hang out, are those moments of joy they’re able to give give to regular normal folks who ask to take photos with them.
Kids, teens, adults, old folks, anyone is welcomed, and that’s something the scene had always indirectly bought to the table.
And frankly, it’s still one of the best things the scene has to offer, an important aspect of joy that all the news reports of the world can never hope to do.
*EN-Transmission interrupted*
Oh right, as for what’s in the box.
It’s a set of shoes!
Worth around uh…wait, 450 bucks?
You can get a deck for a children’s card game with that kind of dough!
…bah, anyways.
And yes, I 50% wanted to shoehorn this story in somewhere. ;3
*END*
Author’s Note:
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