Ryan, 18, grew up in Queens, N.Y. He was a serious sneaker collector before discovering reps. But with demand growing and resale prices following suit, he found that he often couldn’t get the sneakers he wanted. When he came across a high-quality pair of replica “Black/Red” Air Jordan Is selling for $150 online—shoes with a resale value that easily surpasses $600—he fell down a “rabbit hole” of research. Like Matt, he found like-minded consumers on Reddit, eventually becoming a moderator of /r/sneakerreps and a second community he and Matt created about a year ago, /r/repsneakers.

The irony of Matt’s and Ryan’s stance, as well as the culture of the replica community, is their apparent commitment to honesty. Authentic sneaker collectors, as evidenced by the tweet comparing rocking fakes to cheating on your girlfriend, tend to see the possession of fakes as inherently deceptive. But to Matt and Ryan, there’s nothing dishonest about wearing fakes as long as you tell the truth.

“I feel like it just comes down to the age-old motto: Wear what you want, wear what you like,” Matt says. “Whether it’s fake, whether it’s real—I don’t think anyone should be judged on what they wear.”

Matt and Ryan speak almost religiously about the importance of being open about the fact that they wear replicas. They always admit their sneakers are fake when they receive compliments and, incredibly, neither has ever received a negative reaction in person. The most common response, Ryan says, is “Where can I get a pair?”

Last year, Matt walked into the Nike outlet store in South Wharf, outside Melbourne, wearing his unauthorized Yeezys. “Wow, I love your Red Octobers,” he says an employee told him. When Matt informed him that the sneakers were fake, the guy’s response was: “I know. Where can I get some?”