The Sneaker Culture and Community

Believe it or not sneaker collecting has become an extremely popular hobby since the 1980's ever since Nike Brand took a chance and signed an up and coming NBA prospect named michael jordan. It was a move that would change the sneaker industry forever and spark a phenomenon that would grow into a multi billion dollar industry and a world wide culture.

Pictured above, the air Jordan I was released by Nike in 1985, and was the most revolutionary design since the Puma Clyde in 1973, It was like no other sneaker to come out of Nike or any Sneaker company for that matter. The Sneaker gained mass attention and was actually banned by the NBA because the black accents in the sneaker did match the NBA's Uniform code. Michael Jordan was Fined five thousand dollars for every game he wore them in. Needless to say nike payed these fines because the publicity was unlike any other.

Michael jordan was not the only rising stock in the 1980's. Hip Hop (To Which the sneaker culture could also be attributed to) was on the rise. Artists Like GrandMaster Flash, Run D.M.C and Slick rick were bursting onto the scene, with what sneaker heads would call "fire" on their feet. Hip Hop artists were taking sneakers made for athletes, specifically tennis and basketball, and wearing them as a part of their every day wardrobe. A great example would be the world famous Run D.M.C wearing their unlaced adidas tennis shoes which eventually became an unnoffical trademark for the group. This new fad of wearing things like Nike Air jordans and Andre Agassi's off the playing courts became a new fashion trend.

Fast Forward to the late 1990's and sneakers are no longer a fashion trend, but are now a hobby and collector's items. In 1999 the Online sneaker community Niketalk was created. With Threads such as the "Jordan" thread, "Nike Retro" and "Sneaker Showcase" thread, fellow "sneaker heads" can go on and share pictures of their collections and new pick ups, trade and sell sneakers, and check up on upcoming sneaker releases. Niketalk was the first and remains the most popular online sneaker community.

Sneaker collecting has become so popular that people can be seen camping out in front of sneaker shops days before a release to ensure a spot in the line. Things like The "Nike Dunk Exchange" are annual sneaker conventions where people come to buy and trade rare and expensive sneakers.