Sneakers in the World of Fashion
PETER BERNOT
Sneakers have an endless impact on today’s communities and culture. The industry itself will be worth nearly 400 billion dollars by the end of 2020 and sneakers have a large influence style and trends. Whether it’s street style or runways, a look is never completed until the correct shoes go along with it.
From athletic, casual sneaker brands such as Nike, Adidas, or New Balance to high-end fashion brands of Prada, Balenciaga, or Versace, every type of sneaker plays a role in the fashion industry. Currently, Off-White, by street style designer Virgil Abloh, is one of the most rapidly growing brands in the industry. Off-White’s growth can be traced back to collaborations with Nike and the immense appeal they had to consumers. Whether it was these collaborations, the resale growth rate, or the hype around these shoes, Off-White has become one of the most well known high-end fashion brands at the moment. During Fashion Week in cities such as Paris or New York, city-goers will see the mix of high-end fashion sneakers, casual Nike’s, or a mix of both such as the Off-White collaborations. Nike’s Air Max 1 or Jordan 1 is popular for street stylists - where collaborations make things more popular, and in some people’s opinion, simply better. Adidas has also played a big role in moving fashion towards the future by using 3D printing technology in the soles of their shoes to give futuristic yet comfortable feel- though they do come with a hefty price tag.
Yeezy, a shoe collaboration between Kanye West and Adidas, has also grown to be a very popular and well-known brand among trend setters in the fashion community. Besides the two most well-known brands of Nike and Adidas, brands such as Balenciaga have also helped pave a way for people who want to elevate their style with sneakers. Though Balenciaga does make high end, expensive clothes, their Triple S sneaker is currently a very popular shoe in the fashion world. Though the Triple S comes with a hefty price tag of around $900, the shoes have become a staple in the closet of many stylists and normal people alike. The great thing about the sneaker culture is that shoes aren't generalized to one gender. Every shoe can be worn by anyone. The community is all accepting to each other. When kids, parents, or college students stand in line together to get the next Air Max, they become friends and bond over their love of shoes. From a personal standpoint, I can say I have met real friends that I solely (get it?) talk about shoes with. Throughout social media, you can see the sneaker community in play through thousands of interactions between sneaker lovers talking about the latest shoes or upcoming releases.
Though Nike’s such as the Air Max’s or Jordan 1s will always be my favorite styles of sneakers, my current favorite shoe is the Versace Chain Reaction 2. Versace’s collaboration with 2 Chainz to create two renditions of the Chain Reaction has created a unique and different shoe for fashion enthusiasts. Designed by Salehe Bembury, the men’s shoe designer at Versace and one of my favorite shoe designers, the shoe displays a unique ring-like chain on the sole as well as the iconic medusa logo on the heel tab. With the Nike, sneaker-like look, the Versace Chain Reaction shows how high-end fashion brands are making their way into the world of street stylists and outside the high-end bubble.
Sneakers are a great way people create their own style and express themselves to the world around them. Though people focus on the attire of a fashion model, sometimes the sneakers or the heels are the center of the attention and make the statement for the brand. If people continue to open up to new brands of shoes and allowing to try new concepts, fashion will grow into a community and culture that people have not seen before.
