Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 1 No. 2 Voice

KS
TA’KYLA BATES
THE ART OF
KICKS
11
ICKS
KICKS
Jordan, Nike, Adidas, Yeezy are all
big shoe brands society is obsessed
with. You would be considered
very lucky if you own a pair of OG
Jordan 1s High. But why is society so
fascinated by sneakers?
Sneakers are a status symbol for
most people according to “The
Rise of Sneakerhead Culture”
by Michael Lishnevsky.
Sneakers are very popular
among Millenials and Gen
Z culture. Usually, if you
have some rare sneakers
you might be considered a
Sneakerhead. Sneakerheads
are people who collect shoes,
sometimes sell them and have almost
an obsession with sneakers. Before
we dive into the culture of kicks, we
have to learn about the history of
sneaker culture.
Sneaker culture began to surface
in the 1970s when people wanted a
demand for athletic shoes. The 80s
was a major turnaround for the
sneaker game because of one man, a
basketball legend, Michael Jordan.
In 1984, Nike was struggling
to sell shoes. Nike had the
timeless Air Force 1, however
the basketball scene was still
stuck on Converse. Michael
Jordan just began his NBA
career in ‘84 and had a decision to
make. Michael Jordan wanted Adidas
but Nike wanted Michael Jordan. As
history would have it, we know how
that story ends. The Air Jordan 1 was
the game-changer in basketball and
street fashion. In 1985, a year after
the debut, the Jordan 1 would retail
at $64.99. Now in 2020, the retail
price is $160.
Sneakerheads can be a business’
dream or worst nightmare. A
nightmare because resellers buy
shoes in bulk at retail price and sell
them for hundreds or thousands of
dollars. The same sneaker that was
sold for $65 in 1985 is now being sold
on resell websites like GOAT.com and
StockX.com for 10 times that price.
According to Leigh Steinberg
of Forbes, the sneaker market is
expected to be worth about “$95.14
billion by 2025.” Resell websites are
a major contributor to the sneaker
market. Popular culture is another
large influence. In 2015, Rapper
Eminem did a collaboration with
Jordan to make his own shoe. There
were only ten of these shoes made in
the world. The Eminem X Carhartt X
Jordan 4 is listed as high as $45,000.
It is unbelievable that people would
pay so much money for a pair of
shoes. Yet, that is just how the shoe
game works. Many athletes, rappers
and celebrities have collaborated