Sneakers
Sneaker is a synonym for "athletic shoes," the generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise. Additionally, in recent years, sneakers have come to be used for casual everyday activities. The term describes a type of footwear with a flexible sole made of rubber or synthetic material and an upper part made of leather or canvas. Examples include athletic footwear such as: basketball shoes, tennis shoes, cross trainers and other shoes worn for specific sports.
Sneakers is the more common term used in northeastern United States and southern Florida.[1] The British English equivalent of "sneaker" in its modern form is "trainer". In some urban areas in the United States, the slang for sneakers is kicks. In Hiberno-English, Canadian English and Australian English the term is runners or sneakers or running shoes. In South African English the term used is tackies.
Etymology
The word "sneaker" is often attributed to Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent for N. W. Ayer & Son, who, in 1917, coined the term because the rubber sole made the shoe stealthy. However, the word was already in use at least as early as 1887, as the Boston Journal made reference to "sneakers" as "the name boys give to tennis shoes." The name "sneakers" originally referred to how quiet the rubber soles were on the ground, in contrast to noisy standard hard leather soled dress shoes. Someone wearing sneakers could "sneak up" on you while someone wearing standards can only stand on you.[2]
Popular brands
Popular brands include: Air Jordan, Adidas, Asics, Converse, Ethletic, Feiyue, Fila, K-Swiss, Keds, Lescon, Mizuno, Merrell, New Balance, Nike, PF Flyers, Puma, Reebok, Skechers, Vans, Macbeth Footwear, DC.
Types
- High-tops cover the ankle
- Low-tops do not cover the ankle.
- Mid-cut are in-between high-tops and low-tops.
- Sneaker boots extend to the calf.
- Slip-on like low-tops do not cover the ankle and don't have laces.
- Low-Top CVO (Circular Vamp Oxford) like low-tops do not cover the ankle but unlike low-tops have a vamp in a circular form and typically 4 to 5 eyelets.
- High-top CVO (Circular Vamp Oxford) like high-tops cover the ankle and also have a circular vamp.
Sneaker boots
Sneaker boots are a type of shoe that mimics the visual appearance of a traditional sneaker, but is equipped with a high heel. The heel makes it impossible to use them as anything but dress shoes.
- Examples
- In 1995 Cyd Jouny made a crossover between a basketball sneaker and a stiletto mule.
- Nobox, by Reebok an unsuccessful design in the mid-90's.[3]
- Converse Chucks
Sneaker culture
Sneakers have become an important part of hip hop (usually Pumas, Adidas, etc.) and rock 'n roll (Converse, Macbeth) cultures since the 1970s. Presently, numerous rappers sign million dollar deals with major brands such as Nike, Adidas or Puma to promote their shoes. Sneaker collectors, called "Sneakerheads", use sneakers as fashionable items. Artistically-modified sneakers can sell for upwards of $500. In 2005 a documentary, Just for Kicks, about the sneaker phenomena and history was released.
See also
References
- ^ Hickey, Walter (5 June 2013). "22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other". Business Insider.
- ^ Mental Floss magazine, Sept-Oct 2008
- ^ "FOOTWEAR : 1990-1999". Historyofashion.com. 2007-03-11. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2012-08-22.