Big business of sneakers

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - It's capitalism at its finest. Brands like Nike and Adidas have mastered the limited release of sneakers, driving up demand and creating a booming secondary market worth more than a billion dollars and growing.

That's drawing in people like TRPL Threat, which calls itself the official shoe of hip hop, and a 12-year-old from Westchester named Erik Mason who built a business after seeing a friend cash in.

It has created online exchanges like the Sole Exchange and Stock X for people to buy, sell, and trade kicks like stocks. Resellers made almost twice as much profit combined in 2014 as Skechers, the country's No. 2 shoe company at the time, according to Stock X cofounder Josh Luber.

In fact the kicks culture is so big that businesses have been created to cater specifically to sneaker heads and their tastes. From sneaker inspired accessories -- such as key chains made and sold by a 16-year-old -- to fashion designed specifically to go with your sneakers and 3D printed artwork.