Final Project: The Cultural Impact of Sneakers and Celebrity Endorsement

           

Sneakers have made a large impact on pop culture in recent times. Dating back to the late ‘70s, sneakers became a niche culture via hip hop and the b boy community. It wasn’t until 1986 that the power of celebrity endorsement could make sneakers much bigger than an athletic necessity. 1986 brought on the first non-athlete endorsement with adidas signing of Run DMC. The power of their chart topping track “My Adidas” was undeniable to adidas executives.

            This paved the way for sneaker collectors and a culture that thrived as time went on. The biggest athletic brands looked to tastemakers and hip hop further in 2003. Jay-Z and 50 Cent signed respective deals with Reebok that would continue the trend, bringing the power of the celebrity co-sign to new heights. Jay-Z’s “S. Carter” shoes were the quickest sellout in sneaker history.

            Meanwhile, one brand has dominated the athletic lifestyle shoe market. Michael Jordan’s signature shoes are even more popular than when they debuted in the late ‘80s. It was not only Michael’s greatness on the court, but Nike’s marketing team off the court that helped propel Jordans to iconic status. The most famous of these marketing ploys came from Spike Lee, as made famous by his Mars Blackmon cameos in Jordan commercials. The Jordan sneaker would even go on to become an integral part of Lee’s Do the Right Thing Film.

            Fast forward to today and the sneaker game has evolved into a behemoth, dominated by Nike, Jordan, and adidas. Rappers like Kanye West helped to usher in the sneakerhead tendencies to fashion houses like Louis Vuitton. Additionally, he released highly popular Nike shoes. After a publicized falling out with the Swoosh conglomerate, West took his talents to adidas.

            With the help of the Internet age, the sneaker community has reached previously uninterested consumers and morphed into a force to be reckoned with. Adidas has become a creative giant, allowing the likes of Pharrell Williams and Kanye West to have full creative control on their own adidas sneakers.

            The high fashion houses soon took notice, and began releasing their own sneakers. Although similar in design, their shoes cost upwards of $500 a pop, citing superior quality to the hefty price tag. Labels like Yves Saint Laurent have even gone as far as recreating their own Jordan inspired sneaker, which happens to look exactly like the Air Jordan 1.

            Furthermore, designers like Alexander Wang have designed entire runway collections that are inspired by sneakers. His most recent Spring/Summer 2015 Collection solidifies that sneakers have come a long way from gracing the feet of b boys dancing on the street.

Link to full piece: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1htf-GERXO0gl9ORK2zP6Z-69SU3No7MQ5_1hDNTUl-k/edit?usp=sharing

Adrian Nuñez is an Editorial Contributor at Mass Appeal. He plans to have a version of his piece published in the upcoming print issue. The printing of this article will serve as reference for future sneaker, marketing, and pop culture historians alike.