How sneaker trends have inverse throughout the years

Sneakers

People have been wearing sneakers for decades.
Getty Images/Daniel Zuchnik
  • Over the past few decades, sneakers have changed a lot.
  • Converse Chuck Taylors were popular in 1962 and they go along to be popular today.
  • In the '90s, platform sneakers were trendy, partially considering of how often the Spice Girls wore them.

From jeans  to engagement rings, fashion trends are always evolving. And when information technology comes to footwear, sneakers accept seen a lot of changes over the past few decades in terms of both function and style.

Although originally designed to be athletic wearable, sneakers have since morphed into quite a style statement. Today, you don't have to exist an athlete to own dozens of pairs of sneakers. And you can buy sneakers from a diversity of designers, non only athletic-wear brands.

From high-superlative Antipodal to slip-on Vans, here are some ways sneaker trends have changed over the years.

1960: Antipodal Chuck Taylors were worn past athletes and non-athletes akin.

Fifty-fifty some football game players got in on the trend.
Bettmann / Contributor/Getty

Although Antipodal High Tops had already been around for years, the sneakers continued to be popular throughout the '60s.

The sneaker could be seen in movies like 1960's "Alpine Story," a basketball-based romantic comedy starring Jane Fonda and Anthony Perkins.

Athletes were seen wearing these Converse, likewise. According to Mazed Digital, during the 1960s 90% of college and professional basketball players were wearing Chuck Taylor All Stars.

1969: Yoko Ono was photographed wearing a pair of white Keds sneakers.

Yoko Ono (left) wore a pair of Keds for her wedding to John Lennon (right).
Simpson / StringerGetty

Although Keds were released in 1916, throughout the '50s and '60s the shoes had a new wave of popularity as celebrities were spotted wearing them both in movies and in real life.

In the 1952 film "Clash by Dark," Marilyn Monroe wore a pair of Keds. And in the 1967 film "Two for the Road," Audrey Hepburn was also wearing a pair of the apartment, sail shoes. Plus, i northward 1969, Yoko Ono was photographed wearing white Keds at her wedding to John Lennon .

1972: Adidas released its Stan Smith sneaker and unveiled a new logo.

The Stan Smith shoe is still sold today.
Melodie Jeng/Getty

In 1972, Adidas debuted its trefoil logo, a design that somewhat resembles a clover. The brand released information technology ahead of the 1972 summer Olympic games in Munich, Germany.

That same twelvemonth, Adidas released the Stan Smith sneaker, named subsequently the famed lawn tennis actor. The shoe's original design was greenish and white. Today, the brand even so sells versions of its Stan Smith shoe.

That same year, Nike released its Cortez shoe.

A modernistic version of the Nike Cortez sneaker.
Nike

Besides in 1972, Nike officially launched its Cortez shoe and the sneaker featured new innovations.

Beak Bowerman, a co-founder of Nike and Olympic track charabanc, created a cushioning system in the shoe that included rubber and foam. Information technology was meant to make running easier by providing "avant-garde shock absorption" at the heel of the shoe.

1973: Basketball player Walt "Clyde" Frazier endorsed Puma Clydes.

The Puma Clyde has been re-launched a few times since.
Chance Yeh /Patrick McMullan via Getty

In 1973, as function of an endorsement deal, NBA star Walt "Clyde" Frazier began wearing Puma Clydes, a wider version of the make'southward suede Puma Basket.

With his endorsement deal, Frazier has been credited for putting the Puma company "back on the map," according to Daily Knicks.

1974: Converse launched a suede and leather version of the One Star.

A 2017 version of the Antipodal One Star.
Converse

In 1974, Antipodal released the suede and leather version of the One Star , a low basketball shoe that was only sold for about a year.

1978: Nike debuted its Air Tailwind sneaker.

The Nike Air Tailwind is however existence sold today.
Nike

Debuting at the Honolulu Marathon in 1978, the Nike Air Tailwind was the brand'south first shoe to utilise its "Air" technology that was co-adult by former NASA engineer Yard. Frank Rudy.

The sneaker used " blow condom molding " technique, which had previously been used to create astronaut helmets for the Apollo space missions. Nike marketed this shoe and its technology as being able to make the wearers feel like they were "running on air."

1984: Gucci released a luxury tennis shoe.

Gucci re-released the sneaker 30 years after.
Gucci

According to Sole Collector, Gucci unofficially started the luxury sneaker trend in 1984. That year, Gucci released its tennis sneaker, a white shoe with green and cerise accents.

Gucci re-released the sneaker as role of an anniversary special in 2014.

1985: Nike'southward Air Jordans entered the scene.

Michael Jordan, the person the shoes are named after, has worn them.
Focus on Sport/Getty

In 1984, sometime Chicago Bulls basketball player Michael Jordan signed a six-figure endorsement deal with Nike, according to ESPN.

Every bit role of the bargain, Nike released its Air Hashemite kingdom of jordan shoe nationwide in 1985. Each pair retailed for $65 and came in a black and blood-red design. And, in just ii months, Nike had sold $70 million worth of the shoes.

That same year, Jordan won the Rookie of the Year award for his 1984 to 1985 basketball flavor, which helped garner fifty-fifty more than attention to his line of sneakers.

1987: White Keds were worn in "Dirty Dancing."

Jennifer Grey wore them during the bridge scene in "Muddy Dancing."
Vestron Pictures

In 1987's "Dirty Dancing" motion picture,  actress Jennifer Grey (who played Babe) wore a pair of white Keds. The release of the motion-picture show, set in 1963, may have acquired the shoe to take a flake of a resurgence in popularity.

1988: KangaROOS sneakers were quite a hit in the tardily '80s.

KangaROOS sneakers have hidden pockets.
Tsungam [CC BY-SA four.0]

Released in 1979, KangaROOS sneakers began ascent in popularity throughout the '80s.  During this time, the brand released new fabrics and sponsored famed athletes including the NFL player Walter "Sugariness" Payton and MLB superstar Ozzie Smith.

Past the finish of the '80s, KangaROOS were normally worn and well-known for having pockets that could fit small-scale items like loose change.

1989: The Reebok Pump made its debut.

They initially retailed for over $100.
Neilson Barnard/Getty

Debuting in 1989, these sneakers have a special pump mechanism that allows the wearer to inflate the tongue of the shoe in order to accomplish a perfect fit. The shoe retailed for $170 at the time, according to the Due south Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper.

1990: The Nike Air Max 90 was everywhere.

Nike Air Max 90s have been re-released since.
iStock

The tertiary shoe released in the Nike Air drove, the Nike Air Max ninety was released in 1990. The shoe's updated design includes a visible window for the compressed air inside the heel to be viewed.

1991: This was the year of the Nike Air Huarache.

There are multiple editions of this sneaker.
Paul Yeung/S Prc Morning Post via Getty

Debuting in 1991, the chunky neon sneaker was designed past Tinker Hatfield. The colorful shoe was initially met with mixed reactions although it would afterwards go one of Nike'southward best-selling designs, according to GQ.

1992: Every kid only had to have a pair of light-up sneakers.

You can still buy sneakers with lights today.
LA Gear

In 1992, the company LA Gear debuted LA Lights, a collection of light-up sneakers. The LED lights in the soles of the shoes are designed to flicker as the person wearing them walks.

The visitor sold five million pairs of LA Lights in but 1 year, according to the Daily Dot.

1993: Converse were spotted on actors and musicians.

Winona Ryder has worn Antipodal.
Mirek Towski/DMI/The LIFE Film Collection/Getty

In the '90s, Converse were famously worn by musicians similar Kurt Cobain and actresses like Winona Ryder. Though these shoes have never really gone out of manner, they were peculiarly popular with fans of grunge (a type of punk-inspired rock music) in the '90s  and the tendency for the sneakers at the fourth dimension seemed to be "the dirtier, the better."

1998: Chunky sneakers from Sketchers were advertised and worn by celebrities.

Mesomorphic sneakers were trending in 1998.
Jeff Kravitz / Correspondent/Getty

In the tardily '90s, celebrities like Britney Spears endorsed Sketchers sneakers in print ads that could be found in teen magazines effectually the United states. In 1998, the make likewise launched two new shoe collections: Sketchers U.s. casual shoes and Sketchers Sport athletic sneakers.

2001: Heelys became a major innovation in the sneaker earth.

Some schools banned them because they were considered by some to exist a prophylactic take chances.
Tobias Hase/moving-picture show alliance via Getty Images

A shoe that comes with wheels that tin can exist popped inside of the heel in order to brand them a roller skate, Heelys debuted in December 2000. The very kickoff store to behave them sold out in hours, according to a 2004 written report from NBC News.

By 2001, Heelys  were popular with kids and celebrities similar Conductor and Shaquille O'Neal.

Within a few years, multiple schools and businesses had banned Heelys from being worn indoors due to prophylactic concerns.

2004: Large hip-hop labels dominated the sneaker market.

Model and designer Kimora Lee Simmons with a Baby Phat sneaker.
Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Brands like Phat Farms (founded past Russell Simmons, a record producer), Rocawear (partially owned by musician Jay-Z), and Baby Phat (part of Simmons' characterization) were quite popular in the early to mid-2000s .

These brands oftentimes had sneaker lines that included white sneakers with a pop of color on the logo or shoes in eye-communicable colors similar ruby-red, bluish, and pink.

2005: Checky, sideslip-on Vans rose in popularity.

Vans has been around for decades.
Getty/Paul A. Herbert

Although the brand's checkered, sideslip-on shoes were first introduced in 1982, by 2005, "the checkerboard skid-on was starting to kind of get cool with the downtown New York hipster oversupply," Brian Trunzo, a menswear trend forecaster, told Esquire.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2004, Vans was acquired for $396 one thousand thousand by VF Corp., which also owns popular brands like The North Face and Timberland, According to Esquire,  the make's popularity began to grow even more later on the acquisition.

2006: Business-casual sneakers began to get trendy.

Michelle Obama wore a pair of these sneakers in 2009.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty

In 2006 , Parisian make Lanvin created an elegant, simple sneaker for men and women. That same yr, the designer behind the make, Lucas Ossendrijver, made the decision to characteristic the business-casual sneakers in one of his runway shows.

In the years that followed, Lanvin sneakers would continue to rise in popularity and be worn by CEOs and tech developers around the U.s..

2009: Thick-soled creepers were spotted in magazines and music videos.

Creepers come in a diverseness of different fabrics.
Kirstin Sinclair/Getty

In 2009, thick-soled creeper-style platforms were in fashion and they were photographed in magazine spreads in publications similar i-D and Nylon, co-ordinate to Refinery 29. These chunky shoes could also be seen beingness worn by Gwen Stefani's redundancy dancers in the 2009 " The Sugariness Escape " music video.

2012: Wedge sneakers were a ascension trend in 2012.

They could be spotted on the red carpet, too.
Allen Berezovsky/Getty

Designer Isabel Marant, who is credited with creating some of the about famous wedge sneakers in 2012, said she wanted an extra lift for a boost of conviction and so she designed platform sneakers.

"Sneakers are so comfortable but at the same time information technology's not very elegant," Marant told Fashionista in 2012. "To take a trivial heel in it makes a difference, it gives you legs."

Read More: What high heels looked like the year you were born

2013: Nike's Flyknit sneakers became more widely marketed.

Kate Middleton wore Flyknit sneakers in 2018.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Nike's Flyknit shoes debuted in 2012 and they were designed for and worn by Olympians and athletes. The Flyknit sneakers were engineered by Nike to be incredibly light and formfitting.

Just in 2013, Nike expanded the shoe'south range by making a lifestyle range of Flyknit sneakers, co-ordinate to Sneaker News. This expansion led to more individuals wearing these sneakers during day-to-solar day life.

2015: Kanye West's Yeezys won an award.

Yeezys initially retailed for over $100.
AP/Scott Roth

Built-in from a collaboration with rapper Kanye Westward and sneaker brand Adidas, Yeezys are neutral-colored sneakers that went from the runway straight to the closets of celebrities.

In 2015, Kanye Due west'due south Yeezy Boost 350 sneaker won the shoe of the twelvemonth honor at the Footwear News 29th Almanac Achievement Awards ceremony, which has been dubbed "Shoe Oscars," co-ordinate to GQ.

Although the shoes initially retailed in the low-to-mid hundreds, some sneakers were later re-sold for over $2,000.

2016: Vans Old Skool sneakers saw a new fasten in popularity.

The sneakers come in black and white.
Christian Vierig/Getty

The Vans Old Skool sneaker is known for its unisex, elementary mode that features a stripe across the side of the shoe.

Coming in both low- and loftier-top varieties, the classic skater shoe saw a sudden spike in popularity in 2016. In 2017, Vans confirmed that sales for the line of shoes were higher in 2016 than in previous years.

Vans attributed the sneaker'due south re-ignited popularity to its Vault by Vans project, which revamps the brand'south archetype shoes to spark new interest in them.

2017: Sneakers that await like socks were all over the track.

They are sold in a few dissimilar colors.
Matthew Sperzel/Getty

The style grew in popularity over the class of 2016, but by the end of 2016 , major fashion houses like Balenciaga, Fendi, and Marni came out with versions of the trend, cementing information technology every bit the "it" way.

By 2017, the sock-like kicks were spotted on celebrities effectually the globe and Vogue had named Balenciaga's Speed trainers (the brand's official name for its sock-inspired shoe) "the shoe of 2017."

Past 2018, some stars were even singing near this mode of sneaker: "I like those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks," sang rapper Cardi B in her 2018 chart-topping hit, "I Similar It."

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