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PROOF MAGAZINE
31
150 pairs of sneakers took to the streets in 2016
to tell their story; a story of a shoe that has
been a staple in footwear for generations, a
shoe that has transcended gender
stereotypes, brushed controversy
and basked in stardom.
This “story” took the form of a moving
exhibit, Out of the Box: The Rise of
Sneaker Culture, and featured 150 pairs of
‘kicks’ from renowned sneaker collections.
The Bata Shoe Museum; the Northampton
Museums and Art Gallery; the Kosow
Sneaker Museum; the archives of Adidas,
Converse, Nike, and PUMA; and private
collectors such as Dee Wells of Obsessive
Sneaker Disorder, Bobbito Garcia and
legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC,
all contributed to the shoe showcase.
Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker
Culture jumped into the social history and
cultural significance of these fashionable
artefacts and the story began with the
oldest pair in the exhibit, Running Shoe
(1860-65). This ‘sneaker’ resembled the
men’s dress shoes of that period. The
only differentiator was the shoe’s
spiked bottom.
Sneakers have drastically
transformed from this “dress
shoe” origin, but the spikes
have grown to become the
benchmark for professional
athletic footwear worldwide.
Basketball would forever
change the sneaker game.
In 1917, the iconic All Star
converse sneaker made its
debut. It was originally
introduced as an indoor
gym shoe, and it became
an American icon after
renowned basketball coach
Chuck Taylor promoted
the shoe for his entire team
(now you know where Chuck Taylor®
All Star® sneakers got their name).
As the tale continues, sneakers were
involved in gender debates. Sneakers
of course were for men but, in the
20th century, women were becoming
more involved in sports. As any good
sportsperson, these ladies needed a reliable
pair of shoes. However, critics were
appalled about women’s participation
in sports (and to make matters worse
women wanted to wear men’s shoes!).
The “argument” was raised that sneakers
would somehow detract from a woman’s
femininity. The compromise…
applying menswear detailing to a
woman’s high heel shoe and add
rubber-soles. This 1925 “sneaker”
allowed women to play sports
while still conforming to society’s
antiquated view of femininity.
But the sneaker continued its
controversial streak in the 1980s.
The popular Air Jordan, a signature
line created for legendary basket
baller Michael Jordan, hit the
hot seat of controversy.
The NBA uniform
code was perfectly
clear when it came to
regulation footwear, but
Michael Jordan flouted
these regulations in
favour of his red and
black Jordans (to the
delight of his fans). The
player was fined every
game of the 1984 NBA
season for wearing
his Air Jordans, but he
continued anyway, in
blatant disregard for the
NBA uniform rules. The
sneaker was a rebel!
Our rebellious
little kicks, were also
luxurious! Prada, the
Italian luxury brand,
has sneakers in their
collection! The timeless
sneakers shared their
story with the world
via the travelling
shoe exhibition.