Sneakerstory
Most of the fashion images from last year to the day on street-style websites portrait sneakers; comfortable, fashionable and contemporary. What else? If you’re thinking about the trend, placing it to the 90s, you are only partially right. It really seems like a sport breeze – if you even can associate the modern day sneakers to sports anymore – is still blowing. But what about the first sneakers ever?
The very first rubber-soled shoes have been created in the late 19th century in US. Their were called plimsolls, and funny enough, there was no difference between the right or left foot shoe. A company from Connecticut was the first to claim the license for a new manufacturing process called vulcanization, discovered by the owner, Charles Goodyear. The process consists of using heat to melt rubber to fabric for a more permanent bond.
Around 1892 the first canvas sneakers were born, called Keds, being produced by U.S. Rubber Company. In twenty years Keds became very common, and they got the name sneaker from Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent. They were so quiet that a person wearing them could sneak on someone. In 1917 Marquis Converse produced the first pair of shoes created specifically for basketball, the Converse All-Stars. Chuck Taylor, an Indiana hoops star, became their testimonial and made them definitely the best-selling basketball shoes of all time.
1924 was the time when sneakers became international. A man from Germany, named Adolf “Adi” Dassler, made a collection of shoes under a brand called Adidas, and after ten years his brother Rudolf started up another brand, Puma.
The long love affair between youth culture and sneakers started during the 50s, mainly thanks to the star of Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean who inspired a whole generation with his style. At the beginning of the 80s Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, helped Vans to achieve greater success wearing the famous slip-on model. The peak of all the sneaker history happened in 1984, when Michael Jordan signed a contract with Nike: does Air Jordan sound familiar to you?
And here we are, the 90s arrived and you have witnessed yourself how crucial it was to get a pair of sneakers back then, almost like it still is nowadays.
