History of sneakers
From athletic shoe to Sneakers!
Sneakers are ON today! But where do they actually come from? Who made sneakers what they are and why are sneakers so popular? The sneaker originates from the sports shoe, so to speak. What once started as a "fun looking sports shoe" has developed into a true sneaker culture. Brands like Converse, Nike and Adidas have brought the sneaker to where it is today. One of the most worn and appreciated shoes ever!
The first sneakers
To find out where the sneaker comes from we have to go back in time, far back! The first sneaker dates from the end of the 18th century! It was nothing more than a shoe with a rubber sole, where a left and right shoe didn't even exist!
The story goes that a notorious policeman got tired of hearing criminals coming from far away. His heavy police shoes made too much noise. He then designed his own shoe with a rubber sole. He called them for fun, sneakers! It comes from the verb 'to sneak'. With these shoes he finally managed to silently sneak up on the criminal and pick him up!
Converse and Adidas
In 1908 Converse launched its first sneaker and in 1917 the Converse All Star was born. This shoe was widely used as a basketball shoe. In 1920 came the sports brand Adidas, led by the brothers Adi and Rudolph Dassler. The "sneaker brothers" came with a tennis shoe. The beginning of a long 'war' over the sports shoe started.
In 1948 there was a quarrel between the brothers Adi and Rudolph Dassler. Brother Rudolph decided that he could do better himself. And so Puma was born!
Before the fifties sneakers were mainly sports shoes for basketball players and tennis players. That's when the image of the sneaker changed. It became the shoe of the rebels! Because of the low price and mass sales the youth started to walk on sneakers.
Sneakers became real fashion, then James Dean wore the sneakers under a Levi jeans in the hit 'Rebel without a Cause'. This was the beginning of sneakers as a fashion statement under your normal clothing.
Nike came, saw and conquered!
In the following years more and more competitors came on the market, the now famous sports fashion brand 'Nike' came on the market in 1962 under the name Blue Ribbon Sports, later Nike inc.
Thanks to the world's best basketball player Michael Jordan, the sneaker sales exploded in the 80s. MJ signed a contract with Nike to wear 'Air Jordan'. Nike, Reebok, Adidas and Puma have been fighting over the "sneaker wearer" ever since. The image of the sneaker changed with laceless models, bright colors and prints..
What started as a sports shoe has grown into a shoe that belongs in every shoe collection. Sneakers are ideal to combine, fashionable, affordable and hip!