Everything you need to know about sneakers

If you only read one article about sneakers, make it this one!

Finally, an article with all the important info about sneakers. No waffling, no going round in circles – just the essentials, but in enough detail. Recommended for sneakerheads, required reading for parents! If you want to get up to speed in 5–10 minutes, definitely keep reading!

We didn't want to leave out anything important, so this turned into a slightly longer read. If you don't have time to read it all right now, just click whichever heading in this table of contents looks most tempting! 👇

I. What is a sneaker?
How did sneakers get so cool?
Who are sneakerheads?

II. A short history of the coolest sneakers
Air Force 1
Air Jordan
Dunk
Yeezy

III. Which sneakers suit you?
Sneakers for every season
Sneakers for guys
Sneakers for girls
Where will you wear them?

I. What is a sneaker?

Unfortunately, there's a ton of nonsense online about what exactly a sneaker is. 🐂💩

But seriously: why does anyone think that writing sneakers are sports shoes we mostly wear on the street actually answers the question…? 🤦♂️

Time to set the record straight! 💦🥤

It's true that sneakers were originally made specifically for athletes, and they were the ones mainly wearing them. Today, they've become one of the most popular everyday wears. 👟

But that's just the tip of the iceberg – there's a bit more to it than that! 🧊⛰️

How did sneakers get so cool?

The history of sneakers goes all the way back to the 1920s. (Yes, people were already around back then, and they even wore shoes! Just ask your grandparents or great-grandparents! 👵👴)

Actually, we can look back even further: according to some sources, rubber-soled shoes started spreading as early as the end of the 18th century (the late 1700s). (Of course, there wasn't any real hype back then – Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi definitely wasn't reciting his National Song in sneakers in 1848! 👨)

(Fun fact: back then, rubber-soled shoes didn't distinguish between left and right – both shoes in a pair were made exactly the same. Good thing we got past that eventually.)

But back to the early 1900s, when the rubber sole got a canvas upper, which was a huge innovation. That's also when Converse basketball shoes appeared, followed by the big sports brands we still know today. 🤯

At first, these brands focused mainly on athletes. (Obviously! What did you think, that pencil pushers were their target audience?) Among others, they started making more and more comfortable shoes for runners and basketball players. (It's strange to think that comfort wasn't such a big deal for sports shoes before that. Looking back, we can't even imagine what kind of shoes they were playing in…) ⛹🏻🏃🏻♀️🤾🏻

Then, of course, people quickly realized that comfy shoes aren't just for sport. Mind you, that realization wouldn't have meant much without two more really important things:

1️⃣ Sports shoes looked insanely good, way cooler than other types. (That hasn't really changed since, to be fair.)

2️⃣ The basketball players who wore these shoes were incredibly cool back then. (Whether that's still true today is up for debate.)

Long story short: a mindset/culture/trend was born saying these shoes could absolutely be worn every day. Sneakers set out to conquer the world! 👟🌎

Sneakers' conquest of the world is split into three waves by a researcher who studies the subject (sociologist Yuniya Kawamura).

🌊The first wave of the takeover dates back to the 1970s and 1980s, when hip-hop culture (among others) picked up sneakers. RUN-DMC released My Adidas (click here and check out the music video too), which can be seen as a symbol of sneaker culture meeting pop culture – and even becoming part of pop culture.

🌊The second (maybe strongest) wave was none other than the arrival of the Nike Air Jordan. Michael Jordan (if you don't know who he is, scroll down to the Air Jordan section right now) showed up on the court in a Nike shoe bearing his own name – and suddenly everyone wanted a pair. (You could say Michael Jordan became the number one influencer for sneakers, or at least for Air Jordans – it's just that nobody used that word (for this) back then.)

🌊The third wave is driven by growing globalization and the digital age. Today you really see sneakers in every corner of the world, and since their marketing and culture are getting stronger and more and more alive, knowing about them is practically general knowledge now. (Dear parents reading this: yes, it's not just the young who learn from the old – the old can learn from the young too!)

Who are sneakerheads?

“Yet another silly new word only young people understand…” – the old lady next door would grumble if she read this article. 😤

If you still don't know who sneakerheads are, but don't share the neighbor's opinion either, it's time to find out. (Maybe you're one too and just don't know it…? 🤷♂️)

There's no strict rule about who counts as a sneakerhead – if we keep it loose, we could use the term for anyone who loves sneakers and, say, collects them and is always hunting for the newest, coolest pairs.

But let's say that's just the beginner level. For those who take it to the advanced level, it's about a bit more. They're willing to, say, camp outside a store until opening for a single pair. Truly obsessed sneakerheads will do anything to get their hands on limited-edition shoes that are only made in small numbers. 😮

Sneakerheads are also those dedicated collectors who own more sneakers than a small village has residents.

So basically anyone whose passion is sneakers can be a sneakerhead. We know plenty of celebrity sneakerheads too. Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and DJ Khaled, for example, all have seriously impressive collections.

II. A short history of the coolest sneakers

History class is starting! We know how boring some teachers can be, so we promise to do everything we can to make this exciting and interesting. But if you want to get up to speed on the best-known sneakers, you can't skip the next few lines! 👨🏫

Air Force 1

You can't talk about sneakers without the Nike Air Force 1. No question – this is the shoe we have to start with when introducing the most popular sneakers! 😍👟

Released in 1982, the Nike Air Force 1 was the first sneaker where Nike used Air technology. It was named after Air Force One, the plane the US president flies on. And speaking of flying high: the Air Force 1 is as popular as ever to this day. ✈️

The shoe has seen countless versions and comes in all kinds of colorways – you just have to know where to look!

A true classic – a real icon! There's no sneakerhead who doesn't own a pair of Air Force 1s!

But what's the secret behind the Air Force 1's success? 🤷♀️

Nike's success story began in 1972. The company was actually born in 1960, but it was only 12 years later that it launched the running shoes under the Nike name that broke it into the sports shoe market. Of course, these weren't Nike Air Force 1s yet. 😂

It also took time before Nike got into basketball shoes. The first Nike Air Force 1s appeared in the 1980s, when designer Bruce Kilgore found a way to build Nike's Air technology into basketball shoes. ⛹🏻👟

After that, it didn't take long for Nike to sign six NBA stars to wear the high-top version of the shoe on court.

Then Nike almost made a big mistake. The decision-makers thought the simple, functional Air Force 1 wouldn't be able to compete with increasingly popular colorful sneakers, and they wanted to discontinue it. 🤦♂️

Luckily, the public saw it differently, which pushed Nike to change its mind. Air Force 1 production started up again. Year after year – and later month after month – new colorways dropped, and sneaker culture hit its peak. 😻

Then in the 1990s, the all-white Air Force 1 was born – the sneaker that's still a true classic and a must in every sneakerhead's collection. The white Air Force 1 Low is in such high demand that, more than 20 years after its release, 12 million (!) pairs were sold in a single year. 🥰

Of course, the story didn't end there. New limited, special Air Force 1s kept coming – Nike created a whole generation of sneakerheads in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Air Jordan

If you haven't watched the docuseries The Last Dance on Netflix yet, it's time to make time for it! 🍿📺

The series covers Michael Jordan's career with the Chicago Bulls, and it's insanely entertaining even for people who don't know much about basketball. 🏀

For sneakerheads and sneaker fans, episode five is required viewing, since it tells the story of the Air Jordan.

And if you prefer movies to series, we've got a tip too: you can't miss Air, released this spring, since the film is all about the birth of the Air Jordan!

OK, enough free advertising – let's look at

How the Air Jordan came to be 👟

In the 1980s, Converse was the official shoe of the NBA. But no matter how hard Michael Jordan tried to strike a deal with them, the company didn't want to make Jordan shoes a priority or push its other sponsored athletes (like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson) into the background for Michael, who was only just spreading his wings back then. 😕

So Michael Jordan wanted to sign with another brand, but he didn't have any luck with adidas either. His agent, David Falk, then started talking to Nike. But since Nike was known for its running shoes at the time, Michael Jordan wasn't sold on that direction.

His agent knew how to convince him, though: he went straight to Jordan's mother to ask her to talk some sense into her son. So in the end Michael Jordan listened to Nike's offer (what else could he do…?🤷♂️), and on his father's advice (in the end it took both parents to make it happen👨) he accepted it.

As it happened, Nike was introducing its Air technology around that time, and since word was spreading that Jordan worked miracles floating through the air on court, there was no question the new shoe would be called Air Jordan. ⛹🏻♂️👟

How did the Air Jordan become so iconic?

Legend has it that the Air Jordan got a big publicity boost when the NBA initially banned the first version because its colors broke league rules. Michael Jordan didn't really care – he wore Air Jordan 1s every game and got a $5,000 fine after each one. And Nike paid the fines for him – probably seeing them as marketing costs that paid off big time. 😂

That gave it its initial popularity, which never faded. By the late '80s and the '90s, the Air Jordan 1 had become a status symbol. Everyone wanted a pair. 🙋🙋♂️

The Air Jordan has seen countless versions since – but maybe the most iconic to this day is the Air Jordan 1. It's no coincidence that the original version is still being made today.

The Jordan Brand

Nike was behind the birth of Air Jordan sneakers, but it always tried to give it and let it keep its own identity. Proof of that: starting with the Air Jordan 3, the shoes got their own logo – the famous Jumpman silhouette.

The Air Jordan stands for young, energetic talent. Vin Baker, Eddie Jones, Derek Anderson, Michael Finley and Ray Allen all embodied that, which is why they became well-known faces of the Jordan Brand after Michael Jordan retired. They did a lot to keep the brand appealing to the next generations. ⛹🏻♀️👶🏻

But the Jordan Brand wasn't just represented by basketball players. As the brand gained ambassadors from every corner of the sports world, it started making more and more shoes that weren't basketball-specific.

That's how the Jordan Brand was built. That's how the Jumpman logo became a symbol of excellence and talent – and the Air Jordan one of the best-known sneakers and a true status symbol…🧐

🤓 A quick side note: the Jordan brand and the Air Jordan sneaker aren't the same thing. Sure, both are tied to Michael Jordan's name, but that doesn't mean you should mix them up. The Jordan brand includes lots of different products – the Air Jordan is just one of them. It just happens to be the best-known.

Dunk

Now let's dive headfirst into another story! 🤸🏻♂️

The story of Dunk sneakers (also from Nike) also goes back to the 1980s. And just like the Air Jordan 1, the first Dunk was designed by Peter C. Moore. (The man knew a thing or two, that's for sure! 👌🏻)

The launch campaign for Dunk sneakers was called Be True To Your School – and for good reason! The first colorways were all based on the colors and spirit of specific colleges. Nike also sponsored the most popular college basketball teams, which was a genius marketing move: every fellow student cheering in the stands wanted the same shoes their school's stars wore. ⛹🏿♀️⛹🏿

Then the tables turned! 🎲

Dunks quickly lost popularity: they were outshone by Jordans. But one subculture discovered Dunks for itself: they became insanely popular with skaters. They were comfy, gave great grip and could take a beating.

Then in the 1990s Nike decided it was time to hype up Dunk sneakers again. The earlier shoes were re-released – plus a few new versions, of course.

The next big wave of Dunk love took a little longer to arrive, though. The turn of the millennium brought the real Dunk fever. 🌡️

Dunk fever

In 2001, a collab between Stüssy and Nike gave us three sneakers (the first Dunks ever born from a collaboration). Teaming up with a brand that skaters knew and loved was clearly meant to deliberately open up to the skate crowd. 🎯

At that point, though, the goal was only partly achieved. What really hit the mark was the Nike SB Dunk. Nike asked Sandy Bodecker to come up with something guaranteed to be a hit with skaters. So Bodecker went and asked the skaters themselves what kind of shoe they needed. Based on their answers, he created one of the most successful and best sneakers of all time: the Nike SB (SkateBoarding or Sandy Bodecker) Dunk line. Skaters loved the puffy tongue and thick outsole. 🙏

Nike signed a bunch of cool skaters (Danny Supa, Richard Mulder, Gino Iannucci, Reese Forbes) and skate brands (Chocolate Skateboards, Zoo York) – and loads of new SB Dunks hit the market.

Then they managed to take it up another notch! 🧹

In 2002, the biggest name in the New York skate scene, Kenneth McGriff, and the Supreme Team he founded also teamed up with Nike. That kicked off the hugely successful Supreme x Nike SB series.

And in 2005 the release of the Pigeon Dunks created more legendary moments. On release day, such a wild crowd gathered and fought over the pairs that the police had to step in. The lucky few who managed to buy a pair had to be escorted out of the store by police. Of course, the story made the front pages the next day. You couldn't ask for better advertising. 👮♂️

Travis Scott and Virgil Abloh

By the 2010s, the excitement around Dunks had faded again. It looked like the Dunk era was over, and many were ready to bury them. ⚰️

Then came Travis Scott! 👼🏾

The fearless rapper rose to fame with Nike Dunks on his feet, making Dunks popular again – first his fans, then rap and hip-hop lovers all started wearing Dunks. 👟

Then the rapper got together with Kylie Jenner – and of course Dunks ended up on Kylie's feet too. That made Dunks a hit with women as well. 💥😱

And the story doesn't end there!

One of the most influential fashion designers, Virgil Abloh, joined the party too. The Nike Dunk Low Off-White dropped – and after that, every sneaker with any link to Virgil Abloh was a smash hit, which also boosted sales of earlier Dunks. 💣

More recently, a sad occasion made Dunks sought-after again: Virgil Abloh's death. The designer passed away from illness at the end of 2021. His memory lives on through his incredibly rich and influential body of work – including the Dunk sneakers he designed.

Yeezy

Anyone who hasn't heard of Kanye West (Ye) either doesn't live on this planet – or time has passed them by. The rapper, with more than twenty Grammys, is a defining figure of 21st-century rap, hip-hop and pop culture, and one of the most influential artists of all time. ☝🏿

OK, that's it for the who's who – let's get to the point: with Yeezy sneakers, Kanye West fundamentally changed sneaker culture. 👀

In the early 2000s, Kanye still wore colorful clothes (unlike his style today). That's how a shoe designed together with a Japanese fashion brand, the BAPE (BAPE "Dropout Bear" Bapesta), became his trademark for a while.

Not long after, as Ye's style started to change, he began working with a far more elegant brand: Louis Vuitton. That collaboration produced three shoes (in different colorways).

Then Kanye West made his way to Nike, and in came the Yeezy era. At the 2008 Grammy Awards, Ye showed up in a shoe that can be seen as the forerunner of the Air Yeezy I, and it created the demand for Yeezy sneakers. The Air Yeezy I eventually came out in three colorways.

Three years later the Air Yeezy 2 dropped – first in two colorways, then two years later a third one was added. That last one, the Air Yeezy 2 Red October, was a massive hit – and it looks insanely good. Still, this shoe marked the final piece of Kanye and Nike's collaboration. 🔚

Kanye and adidas

In 2015 it went public that Kanye had signed with adidas and would release the adidas Yeezy sneaker line. Reportedly, he switched and chose adidas because the brand gave him complete creative freedom in designing the shoes.

That's how first the adidas Yeezy Boost 750 and then the Yeezy Boost 350 "Turtle Dove" were born. Many believe this is when the Yeezy name became what it is: a symbol of extravagant hype. 😎

At the end of 2015, Kanye came out with a completely new model: the Yeezy 950 Duck Boot, which also dropped in a brand-new colorway alongside the usual ones: Peyote.

Soon after came the second generation of the Yeezy Boost 350. It was the first Yeezy to feature the “SPLY-350” text, and it was such a hit that more than 60 colorways eventually dropped.

Yeezy shoes got more and more expensive by the day. Kanye wasn't happy about that, and even less so about people fighting over new pairs without any regard for each other's safety. His goal was for his shoes to be available to everyone. So more and more pairs were made, in more and more colorways. Prices dropped and the sneakers became widely available. 🤜🤛

Then at the end of 2022, Kanye stirred things up. He made antisemitic, hateful remarks that set off a serious avalanche. Practically everyone he worked with cut ties with him – adidas included. The story is still pretty hot now, in the first half of 2023: it's not clear yet how things will play out, for example given the drop in Yeezy fans. adidas is currently looking to get rid of €1.2 billion worth of unsold Yeezy sneakers – ideally without taking a loss… 😬😲

III. Which sneakers suit you?

Now that the bell has finally rung and history class is over, it's time to get to the point: which sneakers suit you?

Well, the short answer is: any of them! 🤭

We believe that sneakers are closer to art and self-expression than to fashion itself. And the great thing about art is that there are basically no rules! If you're original, you can break the mold, go against the flow and create something nobody's thought of before! 🎨

So if you know exactly which sneakers are closest to your heart and best suit your character and style, don't listen to all the know-it-alls – wear the ones that feel like you! 👊

And only keep reading if you don't have that feeling, no matter how long you look at them (for example here)! If you've found your pick (or picks), don't hesitate – order from us today!

Sneakers for every season

Boomers like to say sneakers are “universal”. 👵🧓

Well, it might be a boomer line, but there's something to it. Whatever clothes you wear and whatever the season, a pair of sneakers will look good on you! Summer, winter, fall, spring – jeans, tracksuit, coat – a pair of sneakers will match your fit and the season! ⛅️❄️

So there's not really any smart, universally true rule about sneakers and seasons either. At most, a white sneaker isn't necessarily the best choice in muddy weather (from late fall to early spring) – unless you love carefully cleaning your shoes every night. (No joke, some people treasure their kicks so much that they clean them every evening. Hats off! 🎩)

And speaking of colors: light colors are big in spring and summer, while darker ones tend to come out in winter. Luckily, among sneakers you really can find every shade, so if you want to take that into account, no problem at all!

Sneakers for guys

This “universal” line really is a good one, since it fits here too: there's no real such thing as men's or women's sneakers. OK, there are one or two sneakers guys rarely wear (like the Nike Dunk Low Fuchsia)... but we honestly can't name one we've never seen on a girl! 💃

The Air Jordan 1 Mid True Blue, with its grey leather overlays on a white leather base, could maybe be called a guy's shoe.

Or, thanks to the suede, we can best picture the Air Jordan 1 Low SP Travis Scott Black Phantom as part of an elegant men's look. But maybe we're wrong… 🤔

Sneakers for girls

If you take a closer look at the adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Light”, you'll notice it's actually not off-white but a pink shade. 🌸

And the Nike Dunk Low Next Nature “White Mint” looks like a glass of ice-cold, refreshing lemonade turned into a sneaker. 🍋🥤

And we haven't even mentioned the strawberry-cake-looking Air Jordan 1 Mid Coral Chalk. 🍰

Why are we telling you this? Because these might be the shades that make sneakers especially girly. 💁

But once again: nothing is set in stone! So whether you're a pretty girl or a cheeky guy, feel free to buy any sneakers you like!

Where will you wear them?

Last but not least, let's look at a practical angle!

It's worth thinking about why you're buying shoes right now!

If it's for everyday wear and they'll be on your feet all day, a good choice could be a sneaker with great breathability. (Pairs with suede overlays, for example, usually are.) 🌬️

Or if you know you'll be walking a lot in them, definitely look for a shoe you know you can comfortably walk around in for hours. 🚶

But if you'll mostly be driving in them, go for a properly flat-soled pair so there's no trouble when you hit the gas! 🏎️

If you're a real pro, you have (or will have) different sneakers for every purpose and every occasion. There are one or two pairs you wear to school (and/or to work). There are pairs for going out and chilling. There's one that's perfect for elegant occasions. And there's one you can hike, walk and go on trips in. And of course there's yet another one you work out in. If you build your wardrobe smartly, you'll eventually work out which sneakers go on your feet when.

 

 

And you can grab your next pair right now – just click here and browse the lineup!

We're glad you're here, and we hope we can send you one of the coolest pairs out there soon! 😻

If you liked this post, feel free to share it with your friends – or send it to your parents so they finally get why sneakers are so cool! 🤭