In celebration of Spider-Man’s 60th anniversary, Kith partnered with Marvel to create a pop-up experience in Oakland Gardens from July 15 to 17.
Approximately 400 people lined up outside 221-50 Horace Harding Expwy. on Friday, July 15, to shop for the collaborative Kith Spider-Man apparel collection for adults and kids, as well as accessories including skate decks, caps, action figures, original illustrations and a very special curated selection of Spider-Man memorabilia from the Marvel Comics character’s history.
In addition to the apparel, accessories and vintage comics, a Kith edition Spider-Man comic book featuring a both Kith and the brand’s founder and Queens native, Ronnie Fieg, in comic form was also available. While July 15 marked just the first day of the event, several people waited in line for a long time to get the wristbands required for access before waiting in line for the pop-up event. Some people began lining up for the pop-off as early as 3 a.m.
Many attendees weren’t surprised to see just how many people showed up for this event. According to Noor Khan and Jewel Hassan, the popularity of Spider-Man and the character’s Queens roots play a big role in the event attracting so many people.
Spider-Man is the alias of fictional science whiz-kid Peter Parker, who was raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben at 20 Ingram St. in Forest Hills. Bitten by a radioactive spider, Parker’s arachnid abilities give him amazing powers, such as clinging to surfaces, superhuman strength and agility, and detecting danger with his spider-sense. He also builds wrist-mounted web-shooter devices that shoot artificial spider webs of his own design.
“Spider-Man is almost everyone’s favorite Marvel superhero,” Khan said. “It was also nice to see all the families here with their kids, too. I feel [Kith] will definitely have more pop-ups because this one seems to be so successful. We hope they do more childhood memory stuff.”
Another attendee, Turo Sparks, said he waited in line for more than two hours to get into the pop-up location. He told QNS it was worth the wait.
“I ended up getting a Venom T-shirt,” Sparks said. “With the popularity of Kith and Spider-Man, it feels like a normal sighting to see so many people turn up for this event.”
The limited edition comic was written by Anthony Piper and drawn by Julian Shaw, with colors by Fabio Laporini and Fabio D’Auria. Its story revolves around Spidey attempting to stop Doctor Octopus and his robot army from wreaking havoc on New York City.
According to Fieg, Spider-Man played a big role in inspiring his creative passion that led him to found Kith.
“I collected comic books growing up, and the one that sparked my passion was a Spider-Man comic I bought in 1990,” Fieg said. “I was really honored that Marvel came to us to launch the 60th anniversary of such an iconic character. As a brand, it’s important to me that we can work on collections like this that are based on my own personal nostalgia. In that way we speak to both ends of the spectrum — the older customer, like me, as well as the younger generation who love and relate to similar things.”
Fieg is a prominent figure in the footwear industry with more than 20 years of hands-on experience. He established Kith in 2011 as both a multifunctional lifestyle brand for men, women and kids as well as a progressive retail establishment. The brand offers an array of premium products, ranging from its own in-house label to a curated selection of multi-brand apparel and footwear.
