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

созданный 10mo | 24 сент. 2024 г., 21:40:03


Войдите, чтобы добавить комментарий

Другие сообщения в этой группе

This influencer is braving the brutal summer without A/C to help families pay electric bills

If you’ve been thanking the heavens for your A/C this week, spare a thought for Paul Farmer, who’s enduring the peak of Arizona’s summer without it—by choice.

Last year, Farmer went with

30 июл. 2025 г., 15:50:04 | Fast company - tech
Panasonic announces new CEO, a former Boeing executive

Japanese electronics and technology company Panasonic has chosen a new chief executive after eking out a 1.2% rise in its first quarter

30 июл. 2025 г., 15:50:03 | Fast company - tech
How Cloudflare declared war on AI scrapers

Cloudflare supports more than 20% of total internet traffic. The company recently made headlines with breakthrough technology that blocks

30 июл. 2025 г., 13:30:04 | Fast company - tech
Snowflake is betting big on agentic AI to transform enterprise data work

While much of the buzz about AI today revolves around flashy copilots

30 июл. 2025 г., 11:10:08 | Fast company - tech
The Trump administration might overhaul the U.S. patent system

Holding a patent could be a lot costlier for businesses and founders in the years to come. The Trump administration is reportedly considering a substantial change to the patent process, which woul

30 июл. 2025 г., 06:30:06 | Fast company - tech
The U.K.’s Online Safety Act has sparked an explosion in VPN downloads

It’s a tough time to be an adult online in the U.K. right now. Last week’s passage of the Online Safety Act, a law aimed at shielding children from inappropriate (read: adult) content, has b

29 июл. 2025 г., 18:50:11 | Fast company - tech
Peptide stacking is the latest viral wellness trend. Experts urge caution

What’s better than one peptide? A whole stack of them, apparently.

Peptide stacking is the latest health hack going viral online, promising to optimize workouts and overall well-being.

29 июл. 2025 г., 18:50:09 | Fast company - tech