#sneakerevolution

[elisha-m-c-world]

Check it out!

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Nike took advantage of the rising exclusivity and prices people were willing to pay for sneakers by auctioning limited editions pairs for charity. Pictured above are the 2011 Nike MAG which was a limited edition shoe created by Nike. It is a replica of a shoe featured in Back to the Future Part II. In 1989, designer Tinker Hatfield was asked to create a shoe for the second installment of the Back to the Future Series. The shoe had features such as light up panels and self fastening laces. Over 15 years later, an online petition asked for the return of the sneaker which caught the attention of Hatfield. After thousands of hours of work and restarting three times, Hatfield was about to make an exact replica of the original 1989 Nike MAG sneaker. The shoe featured an electroluminescent outsole, space age materials and a rechargeable battery good for 3,000 hours.  A limited quantity of 1,500 pairs were auctioned on eBay in September 2011 and proceeds were donated to the The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease research. Online sales of the shoes ranged from $2,300 to nearly $10,000. 

Source: Nice Kicks. “Nike MAG Officially Unveiled”. Last Modified: September 8, 2011. http://www.nicekicks.com/2011/09/08/nike-air-mag-officially-unveiled/

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The 21st century also saw a rise in sneaker exclusivity and price value. New, limited edition sneakers created hype and greed for those who wanted exclusive sneakers to call their own. Pictured above are the Nike Air Foamposite One Galaxy which were released in 2012 and and initially cost $220 dollars. Today, the are sold on Ebay for up to $2,000. Sporting a dark, starry upper on a black base, the shoe features attention-grabbing details due to its new print motif and glow in the dark accents.

Source: Nike Kicks. “In Retrospect:  Nike Air Foamposite One Galaxy”. Last Modified: February 24, 2013. http://www.nicekicks.com/2013/02/24/in-retrospect-nike-air-foamposite-one-galaxy/

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Yohji Yamamoto’s line Y-3 features modernly designed sneakers worn for streetwear and style. Pictured above is a women’s sneaker, the Y-3 Riyal II. 

Source: Y3. “Y3 Riyal II”. Date Accessed: April 17, 2015. http://store.y-3.com/us/y3store/high-top-sneaker_cod44741984gl.html

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Another collaboration with Adidas, this time with an actual fashion designer, was the Wings Collection with Jeremy Scott who is an American designer. Acknowledged for his exuberant bright color designs, he is well regarded among the hip-hop world and followers of streetwear. Scott is famously known for his collaboration with Adidas. He sculpted the acclaimed wings high top (pictured) and teddy bear sneakers. 

Source: Kicks on Fire. “Jeremy Scoot & Adidas”. Date Accessed: April 17, 2015. http://www.kicksonfire.com/tag/jeremy-scott/

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The Adidas Yeezy Boost was another collaboration with Kanye West. Similar to the Nike Yeezy, the shoe has boot like silhouette and foot strap. The shoe is made with leather and mesh and was instantly sold out when a limited number of them were released in 2014. 

Source: Adidas. “Adidas Yeezy made by Kanye West”. Date Accessed: April 17, 2015. http://www.adidas.com/us/kanye

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Nike Air Yeezy was an official sneaker collaboration project between Nike and Kanye West. Notable as the shoe brand’s first non-athlete full collaboration, the project release the Air Yeezy (2009, pictured first from top) and Air Yeezy II (2012 and 2014, pictured second from top). This also marks an important milestone in sneaker history, where sneakers can be categorized in both athletic and regular streetwear categories with many designers creating high end sneakers. 

Source: Sneaker News. “Nike Air Yeezy -- Sneakers by Kanye West”. Last Modified: April 18, 2008. http://sneakernews.com/2008/04/18/nike-x-kanye-west-air-yeezys/

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The Future of Sneakers 2000-Present

Sneakers in the 21st century are heavily fueled by technology and not necessarily having sneakers bound with the purpose of wearing them for athletic activities. Designers such as Stella McCartney and Yohji Yamamoto has designed sneakers purely for style. Even brands that were founded on strictly athletic based ideals such as Adidas and Nike have collections of sneakers that are designed more for sportswear and style rather than athletic function. In fact, Nike’s Sportswear line which features, clothing, accessories and footwear for both men and women is their largest selling category of all their products. The future of sneakers has also been heavily influenced by technology and science. With the increase in popularity in wearable technology, the sneaker industry continued to be influenced by technical and scientific processes such as 3D printing, textile development and engineering advances for athletic footwear. Such examples of these advances can be seen in Nike's athletic footwear alone which include the recently released 3D printed football cleat (the Vapor Ultimate Cleat), a waterless dying process, and Nike's own trademarked Flyknit and Flywire technology created for increasing athletic footwear performance. But as great as these technological advances and style evolution in sneakers have brought the footwear into a much more modern state, these changes also come with a change in price. Today, we see sneakers sold for up to thousands of dollars and limited editions sneakers flying off the shelves in a second.