Sneakers

See also: Plimsoll shoe

A pair of sneakers

Sneakers are footwear of flexible material, typically featuring a sole made of rubber. The upper part is made of leather or canvas. Sneakers were originally sporting apparel, but are today worn much more widely as casual footwear. They are now widely popular. Many children choose to wear sneakers to school because of their comfort and versatility.

Sneaker can also refer to an athletic shoe such as basketball shoes, tennis shoes or cross trainers. These shoes are sport specific shoes worn for various sports.

The British English equivalent of "sneaker" is "trainer" in its modern meaning; however, the traditional "sneaker" (pictured) is closer to the British "plimsoll". In some urban areas in the United States, the slang for sneakers is kicks. In Hiberno-English and Australian English the term is runners. In South African English the term used is tekkies.

Sneakers have become an important part of hip hop culture 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 comparison, common discount offerrings for regular sneakers run at $10-15).

Etymology

In the 1800s, a London police officer developed a rubber-soled shoe in order to catch criminals in the act quietly. He called his invention "sneakers". The name derived from the fact that the rubber soles of the shoes made them noiseless. The term "sneaker" was also used in 1887 by Boston Journal of Education:

“It is only the harassed schoolmaster who can fully appreciate the pertinency of the name boys give to tennis shoes — sneakers.”

The British English term "trainer" is a slang abbreviation of "training shoe". Confusingly, some cultures, languages, and dialects call track pants or track suits trainers, very often leading to lost in translation-type cultural misunderstandings (i.e., "I prefer to wear only my trainers when jogging on the beach" or "Would it be appropriate to just wear trainers to the BBQ party, or is there some sort of dress code?").

Popular Brands

Popular brands include: Air Jordan, Adidas, Asics, Converse, Feiyue, New Balance, Nike, PF Flyers, PUMA, Reebok, Skechers, Vans.

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.

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

Sneaker boots in Paris

• 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. [1]
• Moxy, by Cherry avenue [2]
• Converse Chucks