SNEAKERS ARE COOL
A pair of Air Jordan sneakers signed by Michael Jordan went to auction last year for over $1 million. It got us wondering about the history of sneakers.
First produced by the US Rubber Company in 1892, they were called Keds with rubber soles and canvas tops. Originally there was no left or right foot. Do you know that the reason they are called sneakers is because, when they were first being worn, you could sneak up on people without being heard? Really.
Isn’t it amazing that we have been wearing sneakers forever without a thought of their origin? Part of why we began writing this blog is that we are curious about the what and how and why of things that surround us:
https://www.factmonster.com/culture-entertainment/fashion/history-sneakers
In the 1920s, along came the first Converse All-Stars designed specifically for basketball. Then came a German named Adi Dassler who combined his name to make Adidas sneakers. Jessie Owens wore them in the 1936 Olympics. Mr. Dassler’s brother went on to start a sports shoe company named Puma.
Sneakers were worn for sports only until the 1950s when movie legend James Dean was photographed wearing a pair of Jack Purcells in Rebel Without a Cause. Jack Purcells are the virtually the same white Keds sneakers of today. Then Vogue included sneakers in its editorial pages.
I remember wearing white Keds sneakers with pedal pushers(remember those?). I am trying to recall if my mother wore sneakers. I do not think she did. I do remember that it was important they be kept really white and I think we even used white shoe polish.
Sneakers became works of art, multicolored and sometimes outrageous. There are glitter Keds, Mondrian-colored Adidas, and even hand-painted Converse. Women started wearing red high-top Converse basketball sneakers. The Nike sneakers became a must-have and prices soared. Adolescents begged their parents for them even though they cost hundreds of dollars. A family member’s brother was murdered for his sneakers when he was twelve.
Sneakers are much more than a fashion statement now. They have moved beyond the 90s when commuting women wore sneakers with navy blue suits and then changed into “office heels”. Sneakers are embedded in our lifestyle and are cool. We see sneakers with dresses, even long skirts and the look works, as do wedding dresses with sneakers!
We have to laugh when we see twenty-somethings wearing white Keds Purcells. They have no idea that we were wearing them over fifty years ago!
A friend told us that she was excited about all of the new styles of slip on sneakers, aka “ loafer” sneakers. She calls them sneakers for old people (no bending down and no tying). Her daughter pointed out that, like Nap Dresses, sneakers that look and feel like bedroom slippers got a huge boost during Covid and work from home styling. Look at it this way -being cool has nothing to do with being young!
Stay Cool. Be Cool.
Ciao
Lucy abd Claudia