Introduction :-

Sneakers :-
Sneakers are type of casual shoes that are primarily designed for sports or physical
exercise. They have a top made of cloth and a bottom made of rubber and usually
lightweight. They typically feature a flexible sole, cushioned interior, and are made with
various materials including leather, canvas or synthetic fabrics.
Sneakers have evolved beyond sports and become a popular fashion item, with a wide
range of styles and designs catering to both athletic performance and casual wear.

History Of Sneakers :-
The earliest "sneakers" debuted in 1876, made by the England-based New Liverpool
Rubber Company, and were immediately notable as the world's first rubber-soled shoes.

From the 1890s to the 1930s, sneaker designs saw some notable developments.
Reebok's early success in the closing years of the 19th century stemmed from its leather
running shoes, which used metal spikes to give wearers a better grip. In Germany, Adolf
"Adi" Dassler and his older brother Rudolf began making running and football shoes in the
1920s. Both types were made of leather, but the football variant used studs, which provided
more grip and control on grass than spikes.

Other inventions of the time included Converse's 1922 basketball sneakers, featuring
rubber soles and high-top canvas uppers. These gave more support to the ankle and heel than
other non-leather versions. It is unclear if any one individual devised these innovations

As the years went on, maturing demand saw various sneaker companies emerge. The
1960s brought the creation of Nike and Vans, brands that eventually became hugely popular.

Source: https://www.dennemeyer.com/ip-blog/news/everyday-ip-the-history-of-sneakers/#
 One of the major reasons sneakers became popular among consumers was their
introduction into sports, especially basketball. There was never a particular shoe associated
with basketball until Chuck Taylor came along. He was a semi-pro basketball player who
became a salesman with Converse Sneakers in 1921 and promoted it so well that he
eventually became the face of the sneaker. It was the first celebrity-endorsed athletic shoe. It
became one of the first sneakers predominantly used for basketball from the early 1900s up
until 1960s and 1970s. The growing popularity of basketball made Converse popular to
consumers, and the shoes gradually spread into music, skateboarding and everyday wear.
Michael Jordan wanted to sign with Adidas as it was his favourite brand. However,
a turn of events ended up creating the biggest shift in the history of sneakers. Michael
Jordan’s Nike Air Force Sneaker debuted in 1985, becoming a part of pop-culture legend.
Not only was the shoe marketed towards sports, but for everyday life. Jordan’s mass appeal
made the sneaker desirable for fans of the athlete who wanted to wear the same sneaker as
their idol. It became one of the most coveted sneakers in modern fashion and is still a highly
popular choice among sneaker lovers to this day.

Similar to sports, the music industry was pivotal in the history of sneakers for
making them a product that appealed to the masses. Listeners of music could emulate their
favourite artists and wear the same shoes as their idols. Rap, reggaeton, and hip hop were
catalysts in making sneakers a staple of modern fashion and in people’s wardrobes. Nike Air
Force 1’s were a favourite for rappers and musicians alike. Converse sneakers were starting
to be worn by rock and punk artists. Music and sneaker culture became intertwined even
further with popular artists creating their own renditions of sneakers with sportswear brands.

Source: https://www.thecollector.com/evolution-of-sneakers-modern-fashion-collecting/

Sneaker heads: -

Sneaker heads are defined as individuals who collect, trade, and/or admire sneakers.
They seek out rare sneaker collections and celebrity collaborations that are exclusive in
nature and create a sense of scarcity among Sneaker heads.

This distinctive group has been introduced into the marketplace which holds a unique
relationship with the sneakers they own.

The fashion culture has been evolving and developing significantly through the years
with good sustainability in a particular situation, exceptionally developing sneakers as
fashion's subcultures.

The evolution of the fashion industry marks by the emergence of sneaker culture,
which influences the rise of sneaker head culture. Sneakers have been held for a long time to
indicate a person's taste and identity in national, regional, professional scope and classify
class status and gender. For centuries, sneakers have been a strong indicator given hints about
a person's character, social and cultural place

The origins of sneaker head culture were introduced in the United States, which
derived from its admiration of basketball sneakers through the figure of Michael Jordan, and
Hip-Hop culture introduced by the Run-D.M.C group.

Eventually, the term "sneaker head" refers to African American men who grew up
desiring sneakers worn by hip-hop stars and basketball legends in the 1970s and 1980s.

Furthermore, after Nike introduced the Air Jordan line and Adidas signed an
endorsement deal with Run-D.M.C. as the first pioneer in its kind in the mid-1980s, the art of
collecting sneakers became its subculture quickly.

The massive release of sneakers in 1985 was widely regarded as the catalyst for
modern sneaker head culture. The term "modern sneaker head culture" refers to communities
of sneaker collectors and admirers who seek out new sneaker releases with the same passion
as people who collect classic cars or Swiss watches.

Sneakers and sneaker head culture have been remarkable since strong relationships
between sneaker brands as producers and sneaker heads as consumers. For example, the Air
Jordan and Dior sneaker was released in June 2020 in a limited quantity of approximately
8500 pairs worldwide.

This sneaker set the record for the highest retail price for a single pair of sneakers in
history, at around $2200/pair. Despite the expensive price tag, this sneaker is still highly
anticipated and waited for by sneaker heads, as it is said to have sold out in a matter of
minutes through the selling on their official website .

Since the early 1990s, the Air Jordan brand has built massive value and brand equity,
and they have been significant in impacting and ruling out the sneaker head culture.
Through this phenomenon, Michael Jordan and Nike had played important roles in the
evolution of this sneaker head culture movement. It demonstrates the importance of Air
Jordan's representation in triggering the existence of sneaker head culture.

Sneaker head culture has the role in buying, collecting, and selling those pairs of
sneakers, but sneaker head culture also shows an intimacy with sneakers. In addition, this
research is expected to provide a new point of view that investigates the growth and
development of sneaker head culture. For sneaker heads, consuming sneakers as their
commodity may no longer be only used to protect their feet while walking or running.
Indeed, it has become one of the most valuable cultural artifacts which classified the sneaker
head community into certain status symbols representing sneaker head culture.

Source: https://journal.unj.ac.id/unj/index.php/lililacs/article/view/26204/12380