Benjamin Kapelushnik

Kapelushnik was born in Brooklyn, New York[9] and grew up in Miami, Florida. He is the son of Russian immigrants.[10] Kapelushnik attended Fort Lauderdale High School but was later homeschooled. Kapelushnik first gained an interest in sneakers after his mother purchased him a pair of Nikes in middle school. Shortly after, Kapelushnik used some of his bar-mitzvah money to purchase additional sneakers and began consulting sneaker magazines and the sneaker resale market.[10] Using the profit from some of his initial sales, Kapelushnik began to buy shoes in bulk, including 85 pairs of Air Jordan 1s.[11][12] According to Kapelushnik, he managed to find friends with contacts to Nike and Adidas, often referred to as "plugs," and formed a partnership with an out-of-state sneaker store in order to acquire sneakers before their release date.[13]

In 2014, Kapelushnik's reselling business gained momentum when a customer introduced him to record producer DJ Khaled.[11] Kapelushnik began a close relationship with Khaled and is frequently featured on Khaled's Snapchat.[10][11] After meeting Khaled, Kapelushnik's clientele went on to include a number of prominent rappers, athletes, and celebrities, including Drake, Travis Scott, Floyd Mayweather, Kevin Hart and others.[11][14] Kapelushnik acknowledged that P. Diddy is his biggest customer.[15] In an interview with New York magazine, Kapelushnik noted that he planned on signing up for a reality TV show and that he desired to open his own brick and mortar stores.[2][10]

Kapelushnik has been featured on Complex,[13] Great Big Story,[16] Closing Bell,[17] Business Insider,[15][18] The Daily Show,[19][20] and CNN.[21] In 2018, Kapelushnik appeared on an episode of Most Expensivest, hosted by rapper 2 Chainz.[22][23]

Kapelushnik was a finalist for the 10th annual Shorty Awards for the Best in Fashion category.[24][25]

In 2020, Kapelushnik released a single titled "Let You Go," featuring Gunna.[26][27]

On January 7, 2021, Kapelushnik was arrested for strongarm robbery, a second-degree felony, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.[28][29] Prosecutors allege that on New Year's Eve, Kapelushnik and his entourage were in the lobby of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.[30] In the lobby, Kapelushnik and his entourage allegedly accused a 19-year-old male of taking of a picture of Kapelushnik without his consent.[29] The man denied taking the photo, and Kapelushnik allegedly grabbed the phone from the man's hand, then a member of Kapelushnik's entourage allegedly attacked the man.[30][28] Prosecutors said that the man was punched and kicked in the head and subsequently required hospitalization and surgery.[31] State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle stated on Twitter: "Internet fame or celebrity grants no one the right to violate the law. The actions that put a young man in the hospitals are crimes, plain and simple. The accumulated evidence, once placed before our criminal court, will make that point clear."[31] Records show that Kapelushnik submitted his $7,500 bond.[31]

• Jordan Geller – American sneaker collector
• Sneaker collecting
• StockX – Online marketplace primarily dealing with sneakers

• Official website
• Benjamin Kapelushnik's channel on YouTube
• Benjamin Kapelushnik at IMDb