Sneakers Street

This guide to Sneakers Street follows Fa Yuen Street in Mong Kok from its centuries as a flower-growing district to the nineteen seventies, when rising rents on Nathan Road pushed shop owners toward this cheaper block near two prestigious boys' schools. You'll hear how style-conscious teenagers walking past drew in retailers like Wan Kee Group, the first to bet on sneakers here. Walk the strip slowly and watch for the shops still trading out of their original storefronts.