What are Sneakers & Sneaker Culture?

Sneaker culture is a a fashion phenomenon that started back in the 1970's around the time when Hip Hop and NBA basketball became popular. In the 1970's Hip Hop artists started to wear basketball shoes for fashion rather than to play basketball. Naturally fans wanted to dress like their favorite artist and shoes were the easiest choice because of they're cheaper than buying designer clothes and they're readily available in department stores across America.

What are Sneakers?

By 1862, rubber-soled shoes were known as “sneaks” after the people who used them to their advantage (not just people up to no good, but anyone who wanted to walk around quietly).

Why are sneakers called sneakers? A bit of context to help you understand what sneakers are: "sneak" comes from an Old English work snican, which means to search for. Later it morphed into sneaking which meant to move around with stealth and secrecy. By 1862, rubber-soled shoes were known as “sneaks” after the people who were up to no good (not just people up to no good, but anyone who wanted to walk around quietly). Gradually the term stuck for all shoes that weren't formal.

Modern Sneakers

While the word for sneakers existed for decades the sneakers that we see today didn't appear until 1917 with the creation of the Converse All Star. Originally it was made as a basketball shoe but it quickly became your typical everyday wear sneaker that is still worn today. Similar shoes emerged from this silhouette from Nike, Adidas, PF Flyers, and more.

Brands such as Converse, Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Puma became very popular brands in the 70's and through the 90's, but the brand that became the most popular was Jordan Brand. In 1984 NBA basketball player Michael Jordan became sponsored by Nike who created Jordan his own line of athletic gear, with main product being his basketball shoes. Since Jordan was the most popular basketball player everyone wanted to buy his shoes. His shoe line quickly became a popular brand to wear among young people and celebrities.

Since there is no scholarly research on sneakers it's hard to describe what sneaker culture is. The best way to understand sneaker culture is by seeing it in the open. Next time you go out in public look at the shoes people are wearing. Are they stylish? Are they colorful? Are they weird looking? Are they worn by young people? Are they made by popular brand? Did you scroll on Instagram and see professional photos of people wearing sneakers? If the answer is yes to any one of these question you probably saw someone whose into sneaker culture.

When it comes to street clothes sneakers are the piece that makes any outfit look really good. Sneaker culture is so big that some shoes cost hundreds and many people own multiple pairs and collect them to store in special cases or displays. There are even big sneaker conventions in the United States such as Sneaker Con which is basically Comic Con but for sneakers. Sneaker Con is also a time when collectors bring in parts of their collection to show off or to sell off (new) shoes they don't want anymore. When it comes to sneaker culture the simplest way to think about it is athletic inspired shoes that are meant to be worn casually. If you're interested in a more in depth look at sneaker culture check out this video.

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