With the world watching on as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn into office Wednesday, it was the new Vice President’s nephew-in-law who caught social media’s attention after being seen descending the Capitol steps in a costly pair of sneakers.
What We Know:
- Nikolas Ajagu, the partner of Harris’ niece Meena, was spotted by eagle-eyed viewers sporting a pair of Dior Air Jordan 1 sneakers during the 59th presidential inauguration.
- Only 8,500 pairs of the shoes were created as part of a collaboration between Dior and Jordan last year, and all sold out instantly at their retail price of $2,200. They now sell for up to as much as $10,000 on resale sites.
- Sneaker enthusiasts first spotted the ultra-rare kicks while Sen. Amy Klobuchar delivered a speech moments before Biden was given the oath of office.
We got a pair of Dior 1s at the inauguration! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8y31C9c393
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) January 20, 2021
- The discovery provoked an online investigation to identify the man behind the bold fashion statement, in addition to motivating a multitude of memes and humorous pieces of comments along the way.
Had no idea the Department of Drip fell under the Executive Branch https://t.co/KpGLg1tTiF
— Raheel Ramzanali 🤘🏾🤘🏾 (@The_Raheel) January 20, 2021
- ‘Had no idea the Department of Drip fell under the Executive Branch,’ one observer thought. Others called Ajagu, who in his late 30s and works as head of global partnerships at Facebook, as the man who ‘dared to drip.’
- Ajagu’s identity was ultimately exposed by his wife Meena after streetwear brand owner Bobby Kim tweeted her to ask: ‘Is Nik wearing the Dior 1s?’
Mystery solved 🔥🔥🔥 @bobbyhundreds @meenaharris pic.twitter.com/QqZEIYmowf
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) January 20, 2021
- ‘Yes, smh [so much hate],’ she responded.
- As Ajagu’s shoes began trending on Twitter, Meena shared a laugh about her husband’s newfound fame, tweeting: ‘I step away from Twitter for less than an hour for the inauguration ceremony, and Nik’s shoes are #1 trending?????’
Ajagu was widely recognized as the man who ‘dared to drip’ at the inauguration across Twitter. Others called his bold wardrobe choice a ‘defining moment in black history.’
