The tide right now is at an all time high for sneaker love. A trend that always has been held down in the hood and the gym has become a worldwide fashion statement with kicks leading sales in every type of retailer and showing up on some of the world’s most exclusive runways (Chanel couture–what??) What’s good about sneakers being popular is that it’s encouraging brands that have been quiet to either reenter the game or expand offerings.
The last time such an explosion of brands and styles occurred began in the early-90s and extended though the early-00s. A quick visit to Etsy and its various purveyors of vintage kicks ignites a walk down memory lane with the mostly women’s styles shown here reflecting some of the materials and silhouettes popular throughout the period. For example, the Dada shoe shown above was a straight copy of the Manolo/Timberland shoe, famously sported by Jennifer Lopez in her video “Jenny From The Block” in 2002.
In the ’90s, while Nike was still a powerhouse it wasn’t nearly as dominant and brands including Adidas, Fila, Nike, Puma and Reebok held significant pieces of market share. Back then, however, traditional sport brands didn’t want to be associated with designing shoes featuring wedges like they do today, leaving lesser-known brands to design hybrid sneakers like the ones shown above. Prior to the high-heeled sneaker, there were platform sneakers, originating from the imaginations of New York Club kids, who took regular sneakers and had them customized with platforms at East Village Shoe Repair. Have a look through the gallery (Etsy shop name shown after brand) below. It’s neither chronological or completely representational, but it should spark some good moments of reminiscing.
