Our Sneaker History series goes into the next round and in this third part of the history of our beloved sneakers we want to deal with questions like: What influences have shaped the development of the sneakers? How did sneakers become a cultural asset? How did the technologies we know today evolve? We want to answer all these questions and more for you today!
If you missed the blogposts about the absolute beginnings and the first steps in the development of the sneakers, then take a look again:
After a long journey, sneakers are omnipresent today! No job, no age and no outfit should be without the right sneakers. Sneakers are a culture! The sneaker scene is a very special community - loving sneakers is a lifestyle!
Sneaker - a culture that moves
In our last part of the Sneaker History series we took a look at how the first sneakers were created and how the brands that are still so big today have developed. There is still a long way to go from that time until today, where you can earn good money with the sneaker business and reseller market, where sneakers are an important part of fashion and our society. And this path is accompanied by various social movements, important personalities and above all: the youth!
Because it was the youth movement at that time that wanted to and did polarize with their sneakers in the sense of a rebellion against the adults and their world! Often in our history fashion has been an expression of opinion but with the sneaker culture that started here, the youth got a whole new meaning. At this point I would like to remind you again of Joshka Fischer, who caused a sensation in the Bundestag in 1985 with his Nikes!
As we still know today, the cult sneakers that we have in our cupboards mostly have their origins in sports. Besides basketball, tennis and many other sports, athletics and the world of football are not to be ignored here. Over the years these influences have influenced the development of technologies, materials and the style of our sneakers. And this has made sports shoes comfortable companions for everyday life. Whether Air Force, Air Jordan, Converse Chucks, adidas Continental 80 or even the Superstar. All these legends have developed in this environment!
The skater scene should also not be ignored here. Not least thanks to vans and their style, some important influences come from here as well, which have influenced our favourite shoes. What should also not be missing in the course of this is the music! Let's just think back to Run DMC and their adidas Superstar Sneakers! Or the Jordans who danced their way through the world's hip hop videos and stages. Or the rock culture the latest since James Dean rocked the Chucks.
Innovations, technologies and new steps
From the lightweight rubber sole to the environmentally friendly, self lacing, speeding madness technology! In a nutshell, this is the path of sole technology! But we are not here for the short way, dear community. So it all started with a rubber sole that was lighter and easier to care for than the old leather soles and quickly enabled mass production.
Of course, this was by no means enough for the visionaries in the sneaker industry. Soles were changed and optimised. Shoes were perfected for their respective sport and their technologies also enriched the lifestyle fit of the shoes. In 1978, Nike's famous Air technology was used in a sneaker for the first time and what came out of it is, as we now know, a story in itself. New Balance founder William Riley also had crazy ideas. He was inspired by a chicken foot when designing his sneakers. Based on this model, he wanted to find a way to optimally combine comfort and balance. The aim was to design the shoe to be completely aligned with the movement and needs of the wearer. The first running shoe with a wavy sole was designed at New Balance as early as the 1960s.
Your #TheCrew Background Check:
Dear Community, I could go on like this forever at this point! Because the technologies that have enriched the sneaker scene over the years are so different and interesting from brand to brand, from style to style and from innovation to innovation! We dedicate a blog post to this topic. If you can't wait, we have already explained some of the famous stories and technologies:
Everything else in our Sneaker News!
Today, the sneaker industry is also concerned with important topics such as sustainability. The major brands design sneakers from sustainable materials and recycle what they can. There are now shoes that lace themselves up. Running shoes that are proven to make us faster. Shoes that take a look into the future! And we are curious what will happen in the future with all these techniques!
Luxury Sneaker, Resell, Hype and ...
Today, sneakers, and I think I'm not going too far with this, are a cultural asset. They are not only omnipresent, they also play important roles. On the resell market they trade with incredible prices for hyped sneakers. The whole thing is a lucrative and well-known business. People camp in front of the shops to be the first to hold their new favourite sneaker in their hands for horrendous sums of money. Kanye West and his celebrated Yeezys are not just available off the peg and in so-called Raffles you can and must secure purchase rights for certain sneakers!
Luxury sneakers are also a keyword here. The Air Jordan x Dior Collab was recently on everyone's lips and dear community! Probably you have heard for which prices these sneakers were traded! Also brands like Balenciaga and Co show that sneakers can be a status symbol today. Every child today has heard the word sneaker! And not only that - most of them also have baby or child sneakers in their little cupboard. We live in a time where there are whole podcasts, books, shows, social media channels, fairs and channels for sneakers.
There are incredible collaborations and the most unusual styles dominate the market. From TV movies, sports teams and athletes to stars, fashion designers and many other important personalities. If you are a big name today, you have a collab with Nike, adidas, Reebok, PUMA or one of the other big brands. Ben and Jerry's on a Sneaker? Coat, colour and diamonds? Today the sneaker style has no limits! In addition, there are models that almost everyone of us has in the closet. Models that are loved all over the world for their style, their comfort and their charisma…
So we can hold on: Sneakers move us! And we are still not at the end of our line! For more blogposts, take a look at our Sneaker News!