The Rise Of Sneaker Culture: How Kicks Became Cultural Icons!
From shoes made from woven reed and hemp to sneakers built with complex technology and materials, delivering both style and maximum comfort. But it’s not just about brands producing kicks and customers buying them. That’s only the intro of a typical sneaker history book. But as you read on, you’ll find out there’s much more to this story. A whole new culture and an aftermarket exist! But, wait. How does that exactly work? What makes a certain sneaker worth going through the trouble of buying and then reselling it? Why is that even an option? What’s all that hype about? Rarity, peeps! People live for unique shit that they even made a living outta it! So, let’s find out together all about the rise of sneaker culture. Who knows? Maybe you’ll also be hooked on sneaker collecting and sneaker reselling by the end of the day!
It’s common knowledge the sneaker industry is growing like crazy. Its value surged up from $62.97 billion in 2020 to $86.58 billion in 2023! Forecasts show that this number will increase to cross the 100 billion dollars threshold in 2027! Now, that’s something to look forward to! Question is, how exactly did we come to this point in life? The point at which men, women, kids, and teenagers be flexing sneakers around the clock! The new work dress code nowadays goes something like this: formal suits, long coats, or dresses + Sneakers!
Sneaker Culture: Historical Background Check
Converse
The popularity of sneakers relied heavily on sports, especially basketball. It all started with Converse and the then-semi-pro basketball player- Chuck Taylor. In 1921, Taylor became Converse’s salesman and promoted the kicks through his basketball. This eventually led him to become the face of these sneakers as Converse All-Star was born. And this way we got what is now known as athletic shoes. But as its popularity grew, Converse fans spread beyond the limits of basketball and sports, to become the everyday wear for many!
PUMA
However, it wasn’t until the 1970s till an NBA player got his own signature sneakers. That would be Walt “Clyde” Frazier and the PUMA Clyde for ya fam! Now, these kicks didn’t hit as the All-Star pair did in the NBA field. But it sure did its fair share of contribution as a basketball shoe. However, it stole the limelight on dancing courts back then, as dancers adopted them as their kicks.
Air Jordan
The real shift in sneaker history happened when Tinker Hatfield believed in the then-rookie: Michael Jordan! We all need a Hatfield in our lives… Anyway, y’all must know of the banned shoes by now. It’s the pair that started it all. Let’s give you a lil recap of it all. In 1984, Michael Jordan signed a deal with Nike. And you know what was the first shoe he wore on the NBA court after that? Our beloved Banned Jordan 1s.
So, the league only allowed players to wear almost all-white kicks back then, but Jordan and the Swoosh went against the rule. And after MJ was fined several thousand dollars for his breaking the rules, Nike thought of this brilliant marketing idea. Which was making the NBA GOAT wear them kicks to many games after that while paying the fines each and every time! And the rest is history as now Air Jordans became synonymous with the NBA court. Wanna know more about the whole Michael Jordan x Nike story? Then, the new AIR movie is a must-watch!
Sneaker Collecting And Sneaker Reselling
Did you know that sneakers became so popular that they now have an exhibition of their own? The Rise Of Sneaker Culture is the first exhibition to explore the evolution of sneakers up to the present day. This exhibit also includes around 150 unique pairs of sneakers collected throughout the years!
However, The Rise Of Sneaker Culture ain’t the only one obsessed with collecting sneakers. We now got what is called sneakerheads! Y’all know DJ Khaled? Well, he’s one of them sneakerheads. His sneaker collection is literally worth millions of dollars! If you wanna know more about how to start a sneaker collection of your own, click here!
But what you must know that things don’t stop at collecting sneakers. You remember the other part of the sneaker culture we mentioned above? You got that right, sneaker reselling is the thing making people all around the world tons of money each and every day. And let’s just say that you’ve been missing out on a helluva lot as Nike kicks and Jordans been dropping like there ain’t no tomorrow! And in return, resellers been making hundreds of dollars on every pair sold. The new Tiffany & Co. x Air Force 1 are reselling for an average of $1,914. While the upcoming Grey Gum Dunks are now worth $195 on the aftermarket! So imagine if you been buying in bulk!
But don’t worry, y’all still got many chances to remedy that as dope sneakers are dropping every other day. Here’s an upcoming Jordans list for ya! And if you’re in to know how to start a shoe reselling business, click here!
Wanna Collect Some Sneakers?
Y’all must know that sneaker collecting ain’t the act of catching any pair of kicks that crosses your way, adding it to a shelf, and calling yourself a sneakerhead. It all starts with catching real hyped and highly-coveted sneakers. But here’s the catch. They wouldn’t be so hyped if everybody could have them, would they? So, how can you get ahold of a pair like the new Travis Scott Jordan 1s? Well, you gotta have a great sneaker bot. And in Nike drops’ case, you’ll need a powerful Nike bot. However, your bot setup can’t be complete without some accessories. And these said accessories would be good proxies and Nike accounts. So get these and jig some addresses on your way, and you’ll be all set for the best copping experience! Till next time fam!