Inside the Mind of a SneakerHead
As humans we naturally judge each other, whether it is in a positive or negative way. We judge based off of what we say, what we do, and especially what we wear. Fashion plays a huge role when it comes to our generation;it’s the simplest way to express yourself, especially when it comes to shoes. Yes, sneakers are very important in our lives. Whether it comes from sports to fashion, what you wear on your feet will always be relevant.
Sneakers are part of history. To start off, the very popular Chuck Taylor’s, aka Converse, were created in the 1920’s. Originally, these shoes were made for basketball but eventually made it into the world of fashion. Converse then led to being made into All stars which all started by Chuck Taylor himself. The company “drafted…Chuck Taylor to improve their basketball shoe” in 1934 (CNN). . This classic pair of shoes are still worn till this day, and are considered to be very frugal next to a pair of Vans. Vans are often worn for use of skateboarding or a sense of fashion due to the fact that it most likely would be a bit uncomfortable to wear while playing basketball. For example, many skateboarders prefer to wear a pair of Sk8-Hi Vans due to the level of comfort or in some cases a pair of Nike SB’s. Nike has also came a long way. The company has created and collaborated for a plethora of years. One of Nike’s very popular shoes are Air Jordan 1’s. These shoes were released in 1985 and are named after the famous basketball player Michael Jordan. This shoe is “widely considered the catalyst for modern sneakerhead culture” (CNN). These red, white and black shoes are known as the Chicago Bull 1’s to represent Jordan’s team (hence the colors on the shoes are the same as the colors on the Bulls’ jersey).
After a while, Michael Jordan released his own sneaker brand named after himself. A pair of Jordans are often worn for basketball, but in plenty of cases for style. These shoes are not as frugal as a pair of Vans or Converse. In fact, many of them go for hundreds of dollars. It often varies on how classic they are. For example, a pair of Space Jam 11s are worth a few hundred dollars because they were released in the 90s, and are based off of the movie Michael Jordan starred in featuring the Looney Toones, Space Jam. Another example would be a pair of Bred 11’s. They are called Bred 11’s due to the colorway of the shoe, black, red and white. Any shoe with the combination of those three colors are considered a pair of Breds. These shoes cost almost about the same amount as a pair of Space Jam 11s. Many sneakerheads have these two shoes because they are authentic. But unfortunately, the more authentic they are, the more they will hurt your wallet.
If you are looking for something authentic and a bit less frugal try a pair of Adidas Superstars. These shoes were released in 1985 and are still worn by many today . This shoes are a huge part of Hip Hop culture because of the 80s rap group Run DMC. The love for Adidas was so real it became something Run-DMC was known for, other than their music. At one point, they decided to merge their two loves : music and Adidas. They created a song called My Adidas “an ode to a favorite shoe and refutation of hip-hop stereotypes” (CNN) Today these shoes range from $40-$120, depending on the size.
There are thousands of sneakers worth many different prices. But, to be honest, it is not always about the price. Whether you are wearing a pair of Nike Mags (which cost a fortune due because their vintage) or a pair of Converse, to be a sneakerhead, just collect them all. Sneakerheads have love for all sneakers no matter the brand. This is because shoes are part of culture and history.
