HISTORY

TANYA SETIASECTION - N

SNEAKERS

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS OBJECT IN PARTICULAR?

Sneakers have long been loved as a staple of casual fashion, transcending gender, age, and socioeconomic categories to become the footwear of choice for millions across the globe. Whether you call them sneakers or tennis shoes or basketball shoes they are a global obsession worn by billions and found in every corner of the Earth.When I first asked myself this question I thought, simple, because I like them. But then I began giving more thought into the actual reasons WHY I chose the shoes and it was much more deeper than just because I like them. I began thinking of all of the shoes that I own (which is not that many) and I thought of the reasons why I bought them.The fact that sneaker culture represents a major force to be reckoned with in the world of fashion and now they have became agents of social change.Popularized by their utility in the sports world, they became iconic, larger-than-life, with the emergence of the Hip-Hop scene.

DID THE OBJECT CREATE A CHANGE IN ANYTHING?

The intrigue of sneaker culture lies in the fact that it is both an equalizer and a mark of exclusivity – both egalitarian and elitist. With everyone from rappers and hedge fund managers to athletes and middle schoolers alike finding ways to sport sneakers regularly, the trend has entirely pervaded the fashion world for both utilitarian and aesthetic reasons. But beyond the fashion world, the sports shoe culture has taken on an iconic significance of its own.The basketball sneaker, in particular – from the basic 1917 Chuck Taylor All Stars, to Nike’s full selection of Air Jordans and the Run DMC endorsed Adidas shoe – represents a long tradition in brilliant endorsement, in racial transition, in the emerging Hip-Hop scene and in the commercialization of athletics.

Sneaker culture not only represents a major force to be reckoned with in the world of fashion, but also sneakers have become agents of social change. Popularized by their utility in the sports world, they became iconic, larger-than-life, with the emergence of the Hip-Hop scene, with particular fervor in New York. While nearly every sneaker made cool in the 1970’s was worn first on the basketball court, the Hip-Hop scene pushed the industry’s boundaries in terms of material, color, even cut. It made the more adventurous sneaker that much more wearable for the general public. In the 1970s, New Yorkers in the basketball and hip-hop community changed the perception of sneakers from sports equipment to tools for cultural expression.

In terms of fashion, the sneaker has become a crucial element of masculine expression: in a world that insists on jeans, slacks and button downs as the male uniform, sneakers are an avenue for color, expression, and personal style.  “Sneakers have allowed more diverse images of male success to be imagined in men’s fashion,” Ms. Semmelhack explains. “When you think about the tech genius or the athlete or the rapper, none of them look like a Wall Street banker. They’re expressing new models of masculine success. The sneaker is central to that.” Sneakers, according to Ms. Semmelhack, allow men to take a much greater risk in their wardrobe, without being chastised for it.In fact, at present, sneakers are available as a viable, appropriate clothing option for a wider demographic of men than ever before, worn with everything from suits to sweatpants.

WHAT MADE IT POPULAR?

During the 1950s, leisure opportunities greatly expanded, and children and adolescents began to wear sneakers as school dress codes relaxed. Sneaker sales rose so high, they began to adversely impact on the sales of conventional leather shoes, leading to a fierce advertising war for market share in the late '50s. In the 1970s, jogging or exercise became increasingly popular, and trainers designed specifically for comfort while jogging sold well. Companies also started to market their products as a lifestyle choice. Soon, shoes were available for football, jogging, basketball, running, etc. Every sport had its own shoe, made possible by podiatrist development of athletic shoe technology.During the 1990s, shoe companies perfected their fashion and marketing skills. Sports endorsements grew larger, and marketing budgets went through the roof. Sneakers became a fashion statement and definition of identity and personality rather than humble athletic aids.

From 1970 (5 models) over 1998 (285 models) to 2012 (3,371), the number of sport shoe models in the U.S. has grown exponentially.

IS IT RELATED TO FAITH/ANYTHING RELATED?

Performance-enhancing, rubber-soled athletic shoes date back to the early 19th century, when they were primarily worn for tennis. From the beginning, however, these so-called “sneakers”—named for their noiseless footfall—were tainted by connotations of delinquency, being the proverbial choice of pranksters, muggers, and burglars. This reputation would prove difficult to shake: an incendiary 1979 New York Times article was headlined: “For Joggers and Muggers, the Trendy Sneaker.” It was not until the 1920s that industrialization made sneakers widely available and affordable. Once an emblem of privileged leisure on the tennis court, the canvas-and-rubber high-top adapted to the new, egalitarian team sport of basketball. The Converse Rubber Shoe Company—founded in 1908 as a producer of galoshes—introduced its first basketball shoe, the All Star, in 1917. In a stroke of marketing genius, Converse enlisted basketball coaches and players as brand ambassadors, including Chuck Taylor, the first athlete to have a sneaker named after him.

Politics, however, fueled the rise of sneakers as much as athletics. As Semmelhack explained, “the fragile peace of World War I increased interest in physical culture, which became linked to rising nationalism and eugenics. Countries encouraged their citizens to exercise not just for physical perfection but to prepare for the next war. It’s ironic that the sneaker became one of the most democratized forms of footwear at the height of fascism.” Mass exercise rallies were features of fascist life in Germany, Japan, and Italy. But sneakers could also represent resistance. Jesse Owens’ dominance at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games stung the event’s Nazi hosts even more because he trained in German-made Dassler running shoes. (The company was later split between the two Dassler brothers, who renamed their shares Puma and Adidas).When the U.S. government rationed rubber during World War II, sneakers were exempted following widespread protests. The practical, inexpensive, and casual shoe had become central to American identity, on and off the playing field. The growing influence of television in the 1950s created two new cultural

BIBLOGRAPHY

-http://observer.com/2015/07/how-sneaker-culture-democratized-

fashion/

-http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2016/02/how-sneaker-culture-has-changed-in-the-

past-10-years/

-https://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/09/13/sneakers-fashion-week/