$6.23
June 2019
CONTENTS What is Sneaker Culture?
- a brief history on the rise of sneakers
page 2
Dissecting the Sneaker - a guide of what is in a sneaker
page 6
What do Shoes Mean to You? - interviews by Jay and Ben
page 9
What Shoe Matches You?
- an interactive quiz to see what shoe matches your personality
page 10
1
What is Sneaker Culture? Beginning of Basketball Footwear: In 1921, Chuck Taylor, a basketball player for the Akron Firestones, High Converse. He saw the shoe’s gained an interest in the High-Top potential in basketball an and joined the converse sales force to create the world wi wide known “Chuck Taylor’s.” Because of his su success in the promotion and design of the All Stars, Converse rewarded him by placing the signature CChuck hu Taylor logo on the ankle of the shoe. Converse also introduced the white high top with red and blue accents for the 1936 olympics. As of today, more than 60% of Americans have or have had a pair of Chuck Taylor’s Converse.
Hitting The Streets: Hip-hop was responsible for making sneakers part of style. Sneakers were important in the 1980s because they were comfortable to dance in and became standard gear for performers. These performers were all about keeping style in check, most importantly sneakers, fresh and clean. In 1983, hip hop group Run-DMC came out with a hit song called “My Adidas,” which skyrocketed the sales of Adidas the target audience of people following pop culture. They were helping the Adidas shoe industry so much, that “Run-DMC x Adidas” became the first shoe deal to be signed outside of the athletic industry. 3
JORDANS: In 1984, all star basketball player Michael Jordan signed a contract with Nike, which was probably one of the most valuable business deals in sneaker history. In 1985 Nike released the first pair of ‘Jordans’ called Air Jordan Ones, which rapidly exceeded the Converse All Stars in annual sales, making its name as the most popular basketball shoe of the 80s. The Air Jordan Ones did not have the best shoe technology, but the color and style paved the way for the beginning of the commercial basketball shoe industry. Since 1985, 33 Jordanss have been made and widely distributed across the world. (the first 16 Jordans are displayed)
4
Rise of Sneaker Popularity When Michael Jordan first retired, Nike continued to produce Jordan brand shoes. That being said, they needed to fill the void of having a player on the court wearing their shoes. Since Jordan, the biggest NBA players that Nike signed with to get a signature shoe was Charles Barkley, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Paul George. Kev in
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Kobe Bryant 11s “Invisibility Cloak”
Future of Sneaker Collaborations The biggest names partnering with sneaker companies have been Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Drake, and and Travis Scott. Kanye West is the most prolific sneaker designer in the hip hop community, as he has worked with Louis Vuitton and Nike. Pharrell has been working with Japanese shoe Company BAPE (A Bathing Ape) to release his line of "Ice Cream" themed Shoes. Drake and Travis Scott both teamed up with Jordan Brand, in which they designed their own custom Jordans. As well as the many artists trying to attain a shoe deal, skating brand Supreme has been collaborating with Nike and Jordan. There are endless possibilities to collaborate, design, and create shoes. 5
Kanye Red
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AIR MAG now availabe with PowerLacesÂŽ.
What do shoes mean to you? Ben Segev “To me, Shoes are essential for completing the outfit.” Favorite Shoes: - Travis Scott Air Force 1s - Jordan 1 “Breds” - “Classic” Vans
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Quiz Time !!! Do you have a 4.0 ?
(go to next circle)
(go to next circle)
Is your shoe size above a Men’s 8 ?
You are smart, thus you get the “GOAT” shoe! “Jordan 1 Bred”
Big feet look GREAT in this Travis Scott x NIKE collab!
DAERT