Teenagers are stealing strangers’ Nike zippers. Blame TikTok

Teenagers have found a new way to amuse themselves: Stealing people’s backpack zippers. Not just any zippers, specifically Nike Elite backpack zippers. Why? You’ll have to ask a teenage boy that one. 

TikTokers are going viral on the platform for either showing their collection of removable zippers or mourning their now-zipperless backpacks. While it’s not clear exactly where the trend originated, TikToker @kyrieirvingishimm posted one of the earliest viral videos of the trend, showing off several Nike bag zippers that he allegedly stole, captioning the post, “I’m from NYC. Do not leave your Nike Elite lackin around me.”

The trend has since spread like wildfire (as bizarre trends usually do) with the help of social media, now racking up more than 26 million related posts on TikTok. Thousands of videos are up under such tags as #NikeElite and #zipper, with teens showing off their collections. What do participants do with these zippers? Attach them to their own backpacks or shoes to wear as a trophy and hope they don’t become a victim of their own game. 

One video with 835,000 views, captioned “day four of snatching people’s Nike elite zippers,” shows a backpack with at least 15 zippers of all different colors hooked on. Last week, user @sammvovk put up a post showing a store display of the Nike Elite bags with every pocket opened to search for the coveted zippers. “Nah, y’all taking this trend way too seriously,” he wrote. 

With no Nike Elite backpack owner safe, people have taken to posting tutorials on TikTok to help others protect their zippers. One TikToker showed how looping the zipper tie around a few times makes it trickier to remove, giving the backpack owner time to realize and confront the thief red-handed.

@gio.porrett

Replying to @aiden 🃏 my tutorial on how to braid nike elite bag zippers so they dong get stolen #CapCut #basketball #basketballtiktok #nikeelitebackpack #nike #zipper

♬ original sound – gio.porrett

On a Reddit thread someone also suggested, “Put the tags on the front of your bag and if you leave your bag take them off and bring them with you that’s what I do to keep mine safe.” 

However, for some, the advice came too late. “Someone at my school took 2 of my water bottles and will only give them back if I give him 15 zippers,” wrote one zipperless Reddit user. Stay safe out there, friends.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91196748/teenagers-are-stealing-strangers-nike-zippers-blame-tiktok?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Vytvořeno 10mo | 24. 9. 2024 21:40:03


Chcete-li přidat komentář, přihlaste se

Ostatní příspěvky v této skupině

A newly discovered exoplanet rekindles humanity’s oldest question: Are we alone?

Child psychologists tell us that around the age of five or six, children begin to seriously contemplate the world around them. It’s a glorious moment every parent recognizes—when young minds start

13. 7. 2025 11:10:06 | Fast company - tech
How Watch Duty became a go-to app during natural disasters

During January’s unprecedented wildfires in Los Angeles, Watch Duty—a digital platform providing real-time fire data—became the go-to app for tracking the unfolding disaster and is credit

13. 7. 2025 6:30:05 | Fast company - tech
Why the AI pin won’t be the next iPhone

One of the most frequent questions I’ve been getting from business execs lately is whether the

12. 7. 2025 12:10:02 | Fast company - tech
Microsoft will soon delete your Authenticator passwords. Here are 3 password manager alternatives

Users of Microsoft apps are having a rough year. First, in May, the Windows maker

12. 7. 2025 9:40:03 | Fast company - tech
Yahoo Creators platform hits record revenue as publisher bets big on influencer-led content

Yahoo’s bet on creator-led content appears to be paying off. Yahoo Creators, the media company’s publishing platform for creators, had its most lucrative month yet in June.

Launched in M

11. 7. 2025 17:30:04 | Fast company - tech
GameStop’s Nintendo Switch 2 stapler sells for more than $100,000 on eBay after viral mishap

From being the face of memestock mania to going viral for inadvertently stapling the screens of brand-new video game consoles, GameStop is no stranger to infamy.

Last month, during the m

11. 7. 2025 12:50:04 | Fast company - tech
Don’t take the race for ‘superintelligence’ too seriously

The technology industry has always adored its improbably audacious goals and their associated buzzwords. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is among the most enamored. After all, the name “Meta” is the resi

11. 7. 2025 12:50:02 | Fast company - tech