They wait in long lines during cold winter months; they stay up late preparing to place an order because the new stitching or faux snakeskin uppers are just right; they attend exhibits showing off the rarest and most iconic of the bunch. “They” are called “sneakerheads”
Sneakerhead |ˈsnēkərhed| noun 1. A person who collects limited, rare, OG, or flat out exclusive kicks; usually the collection consists of Jordans or Dunks (Urban Dictionary).
The thing is, we’ve all become a sort of modified sneakerhead. Sure, we might not collect sneakers with such enthusiasm, but the trend has clearly caught on. It’s hard to walk down the street, or across the quad for that matter, without catching a glimpse of Chucks, Stan Smiths or Vans sk-8 shoes. The fact of the matter is that sneakers are having a moment, a moment that has lasted quite a while. So what is it about the athletic shoe that has got such a hold on us? And will the craze last?
David Friendly, a film producer credited with big titles like Dr. Doolittle, Big Momma’s House, and Little Miss Sunshine tries to help explain the sneaker craze saying, “A suit is a suit. A shirt is a shirt. But with kicks, you can tell a story about yourself.” Sneaker collecting began in the late 1970s as part of the burgeoning b-boy and hip-hop movement in New York City. Sneakers were easily customized by color coordinating laces, or decorating Adidas stripes, and therefore fit right in with the unique clothing that marked the early stages of these movements.
The sneaker craze hit mainstream America when Nike and Michael Jordan launched Air Jordans in 1985. What was once a shoe style restricted to basketball players, hip-hop artists, and skaters, quickly began to seep into the average teen’s closet, remaining there ever since.
Now, sneakers are a wardrobe staple. Different styles come and go, but the theme remains the same. Sneakers, a style once reserved for physical activity, have carved a place into our everyday shoe lineup. We have begun to build our outfits from the bottom up, finding what will best compliment the suede or leather uppers, the wild print, or the brightly color toes of our favorite pairs. While sneakers began for b-boys and hip hop artists as a way to stand out, they’ve become the ultimate symbol of fitting in. For better or for worse, sneakers have become mainstream.
It’s clear to see: we all love sneakers. They’re comfortable, they’re casual, and they’re increasingly more stylish. But unfortunately, us millennials missed the style’s real hay day. For us, sneakers are commonplace, not an expression of our character. Luckily, the beauty of fashion is that it perpetually reinvents itself, giving us the opportunity to make a classic, like sneakers, new again. Between the custom decorated vans blowing up Instagram, and personalization options on every major sneaker brand’s website, the sneakerhead in all of us is dying to make the trend, and thereby our own style, unique.
Sneakers are certainly tried and true. And now that they are undeniably a classic, we have the opportunity to turn them into something more, something that continues to impress us, inspire us, and make us feel unique like the pioneers of the trend itself.
Cool new kicks you haven’t seen around:
Nine West Hidrate Platform Sneakers, $99, available at Nine West.
PUMA Solange Suede Classic Squares Women’s Sneakers, $90, available at PUMA.
Marc by Marc Jacobs Low-Tops, $80, available at yoox.com.