Written by Andrew Cha Illustrations by Christina Shen
100 billion dollars. That’s how much sneakers are worth. Almost doubling in net worth since 2016, the retail sneaker industry now occupies one of the most lucrative positions in contemporary style and fashion across the world. With the explosion of “sneaker culture” on both social media and the runway, these constructions of just rubber and canvas have transcended conventional styles of luxury and street, manifesting a culture defined by historical and contemporary elements of sports, hip-hop, and fashion. Understanding the widespread prevalence of a seemingly newfound sneaker consciousness, however, is to draw the line between trend and a cultural history. While Virgil Abloh’s Nikes and red
box logo hoodies boast instant sell out releases and billions of dollars in the resale industry, the foundation of these pieces lies in RUN DMC Adidas and Spike Lee movies. Athlete cosigned basketball shoes, hip hop, and streetwear didn’t suddenly become cool because designers like Ricardo Tischi decided they wanted to work with Nike: the “trend” is rooted in culture. And ever since the 1980s this culture of sneakers has informed the mainstream, but it wasn’t until recently that the saturation of sneaker culture came to dominate the mainstream, manifesting a profound sociopolitical and economic problem.
