As a new sneaker exhibition opens at the London Design Museum, we trace the anarchic past and chaotic present of sneaker culture through some of its most important styles
Be it postage stamps, vinyls, or classic cars, the act of collecting anything is, ever so slightly, nerdy. But there’s something particularly undignified about the word “sneakerhead” – the way it slithers out the mouth, the images it conjures of clinically arranged shoe racks and the uncompromising, greedy resellers that man the gates of the industry. If an NFT was an item of fashion, it would, unfortunately, be the sneaker. But then again, true sneakerheads would never call themselves sneakerheads. “It's more punk to say you're not punk than to say you are punk,” as Avril Lavigne once said.
In 1984, Michael Jordan signed a contract with Nike that birthed sneaker culture as we know it. In the years that followed, athletic footwear moved out of the sports arena and further into mainstream culture, aligning itself with all the codes and cachet of its basketball and hip hop originators. The global sneaker market is now worth $70 billion, and in recent years, the humble trainer has gained the same collector status as wine and fine jewellery – Sotheby’s sold Kanye West’s OG Yeezy sneaker for nearly two million dollars at an auction just last month.
So frenzied is the demand that when Nike released a technical, hands-free, slip-on for those with limited mobility, so-called sneakerheads jumped on the style, reselling the shoe for almost five times the original price. “Talk about accessibility,” Louie Lingard, a disability advocate and TikToker said at the time.
Not even the it-bag, with all its celebrity status, could have engendered such levels of rabid desire. In fact, where fashion’s creative directors were once implored to create the season’s must-have bag, that notion has now been usurped by the sneaker. Think Kim Jones’ Jordans at Dior, Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga Triple-S trainers, or Alessandro Michele’s shabby Gucci Rhytons, which have each spent a moment in the spotlight.
How, then, did we get here? “Sneakers are a canvas that serve as a means of self-expression, whether you’re a collector or wearing them right out of the box,” says Derek Morrison, Senior Director of StockX, the online sneaker marketplace sponsoring Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street at The Design Museum. The exhibition, which runs until 24th October, maps the legacy of the sneaker through its archive styles, subcultural affiliations, technical innovations, and resell furore. “Sneakers make us feel connected to brands, people and cultural moments, and they’re more than just something that goes on your feet.”
What was once seen as “too low brow” – as Morrison puts it – has now become a faction of, and rival to, the fashion elite. But it’s difficult to wrangle sneaker culture's many tentacles without looking at the styles which first birthed the beast; without the existence, and success, of certain models, the industry would not have mutated into the megalith of today. Below, we trace the five sneakers that changed the world.
THE ADIDAS STAN SMITH
In 1978, adidas released its Stan Smith trainer. Originally an endorsement deal with tennis star Stan Smith, it was the first leather, not canvas, sports shoe. But as technical sportswear gained momentum in the 80s, Stan Smiths began to lose their popularity as performance shoes. Instead, they became a style staple off court. The universality of the model is owed, at least in part, to its minimal design – an all white pump with just a dash of colour at the heel tab. It wasn’t until 2011, however, when Phoebe Philo gave a bow on the (old) Céline catwalk that Stan Smiths entered high fashion’s vernacular. Spotting this, adidas removed all styles from its shelves, manufacturing desire and need. When the style came back into stock around 2013, Gisele was snapped posing nude in a pair for Vogue Paris, before Raf Simons, Pharell, and Yohji Yamamoto dropped their own co-branded iterations. “We’ve seen the sneaker rocked by stars like David Beckham and even world leaders like Barack Obama – the silhouette has truly stood the test of time,” says Morrison.
THE NIKE AIR MAX 1
“The Air Max 1 was a revolution in sneaker design,” Morrison says of the 1987 sneaker. “The original designer, Tinker Hatfield, was deeply inspired by the Centre Pompidou and implemented the iconic air bubble we see in every Air Max model to this day.” First employed by Nike as an architect, Hatfield was tasked with designing the brand’s Oregon campus, but he soon moved onto footwear – despite the fact his now legendary creations were deemed too extreme. It all comes down to that little air bubble – some NASA-generated tech which Nike had long been obscuring – which Hatfield made transparent. Thirty years later and the revolution of visible air has birthed one of the most recognisable sneaker series in history, one which has been through 51 rounds of reinvention, and still continues today.
THE NIKE AIR JORDAN 1
In 1984, Nike embarked on the most important sports endorsement deal of all time, teaming up with NBA player Michael Jordan on Nike’s basketball extension brand, named after the basketballer. “The Air Jordan 1 changed the sneaker game when fans saw it as Michael Jordan’s first signature shoe on the court,” Morrison says. Even though Jordan was originally vying for an adidas sponsorship, within the first month of the shoe’s release, Nike raked in $70 million. Then, throughout the 80s and 90s, Nike would drop a new Jordan sneaker for every season the basketballer played. “This sneaker is credited with being the catalyst for collecting and reselling,” he adds. Now the style du jour of TikTok girls wearing cropped tops, mini bags, and mum jeans, “the Jordan 1 is the most popular sneaker on StockX. Notably, last year’s release of the AJ1 Dior blurred the lines between streetwear and high fashion with its luxurious resale value averaging around $10K.”
NIKE AIR FORCE 1
With their perforated toe box, swoosh overlays, and lace medallion, the Nike Air Force 1s are not only an inner-city staple, but may well be the most iconic sneaker of all time. Designed by Bruce Kilgore in 1982, the shoe was originally a reference to Air Force One – the jet which carries the US president – and though the design remains unchanged since then, the Air Force 1 is Nike’s all-time best-selling model. Over 1,700 colourways have been released (all of which have probably been banned from school playgrounds) bringing in an estimated $800 million per year in revenue. Whether in low top, mid, or high, “the Nike Air Force 1 is, simply put, a classic. Although not as hyped as other Nike silhouettes, the Air Force 1 Low White is an everyday shoe that even non-sneakerheads will run to. To date, the AF1 Low White 07 is one of the highest traded shoes on StockX with nearly 50,000 trades.”
YEEZY 350
It would be unthinkable to trace the meteoric rise of sneaker culture without accrediting Yeezy himself, Kanye West. Following his breakaway from Nike and the release of the Yeezy 750 suede hi-tops, Kanye’s 350 model – complete with no-tie laces, a knitted upper, and an almond toe – inaugurated the low top Yeezy, which to this day sells out as quickly as it’s released. If hip hop already had a hold on the sneaker world, then Kanye was now its commander in chief. The classic 350 riffed on, and reinvented the adidas Ultra Boost. “Altering the Boost sole and mesh overlay, the original 350 Turtledove changed the sneaker game, divorcing itself from the performance-wear foundations of the industry. As a sneaker that still permeates through both street style and activewear, the Yeezy 350 was the best-selling sneaker on StockX since the platform launched in 2016 until 2020.”
Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street runs until Sunday October 24 at The Design Museum. For more info, including tickets, click here.