Blank pixel used during image takedowns
The history of the sneaker extends back longer than you may think — the first canvas and rubber shoe was put together over 70 years before Chuck Taylor (yes, that Chuck Taylor) was even born. Obviously sneakers — and the way people feel about them — have changed a lot in the nearly two centuries since, much of the evolution taking part in the past 50 years. We decided to page back through all of it and pick out The 10 Greatest Years in Sneaker History. See whether you agree and let us know what you think in the comments.
10. 2000
IN THE YEAR 2000... there was Shox. Vince Carter introduced Nike's new tech (whose development actually started before Air) by jumping over poor Frederic Weis in the Sydney Olympics, as Kevin Garnett looked on in the latest iteration of Foamposite. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant was getting outfitted in the Audi-designed adidas The KOBE (which happened to coincide with what would have been Adi Dassler's 100th birthday year). Skate shoes were a little on the triple-fat goose side, although Eric Koston's K3 was a sleek exception. And all the while, retros like Air Force 1s — and newly re-introduced Dunks — were hitting in all sorts of classic forms, especially overseas.
9. 1923
The Converse All Star was originally introduced in 1917, but it wasn't until a few years later that it would become the Chuck Taylor All Star. Converse hired the salesman and basketball player in 1921, and took his suggestions on how to improve their basketball shoe. Among other things, he added the now-familiar ankle patch — which in 1923 would bear his name for the first time. Everything else would follow from here.
8. 1972
For the Munich Olympics, adidas introduced the SL (aka SL72), a super-light trainer that foreshadowed the direction of the company 40 years later. Meanwhile in Beaverton Oregon, Nike established their bona fides with the Cortez. Based on an Onitsuka runner modified by track coach and shoe whisperer Bill Bowerman, the Nike Cortez was essentially the first "modern" running shoe. Important? Absolutely.
7. 2012
If the current year isn't one of the greatest years in sneaker history, there must be something wrong. Thankfully, this is not the case. We are living in a golden age, where retro and new product not only co-exist, but at times push each other forward. Tinker Hatfield, resposnible for much of Nike's significant output of the past 25 years, is not only still designing, but still pushing onward ahead of the next generation of designers who learned from his creations. His Zoom Vapor 9 Tour, the signature shoe of Roger Federer, was sketched on an iPad — where he now does all of his work. Meanwhile, adidas's "adiZero" line continues to push the barriers of lightweight, while Vibram's soles have found their way on everything from skate shoes (iPath) to minimalist runners (New Balance). Both Nike and adidas introduced revolutionary knit shoes. Swizz Beatz has been raiding Reebok's archives to bring back some of their most beloved silhouettes, while Nike's NSW, Vans Vault (and Syndicate) and adidas Originals' Consortium have done tremendous work with their own. And even a company like Nike has embraced seeming conflicting ideas — the Roshe Run as sneaker without baggage, and Nike+ fully bringing footwear into the information age. And just think — we still have a quarter of the year to go.
6. 1992
When it comes to sneakers, there's always been something special about Olympic years. Throughout the '60s and '70s, adidas regularly introduced new models to concur with the Games, and in the '80s, Converse was the official outfitter of Team USA. But 1992 was different. As the first Summer Games of the '90s, 1992 also was the year of the Dream Team, the first USA Basketball team to feature NBA players. As such, each respective player's shoe company saw fit to lace them with some special product. But that wasn't all. Nike's Huarache line continued with the Air Flight Huarache — as worn by the University of Michigan Fab Five — Converse laced Larry Johnson with the Aero Glide, Reebok came with the Shaq Attaq, and Vans came out with what may be the best skate shoe of all time, the Vans Half Cab. On the running side, the Nike Pegasus line reached its aesthetic peak.
5. 1965
You may not think of 1965 as a prime year for sneaker innovation, but boy, would you be wrong. There were plenty of firsts in 1965 — the first skateboard shoe, developed by Randolph Rubber (one of whose developers, Paul Van Doren, would go on to establish his own company — Vans — the following year), the first leather tennis shoe (the Robert Haillet from adidas, which would later be re-named the Stan Smith) as well as the introduction of proto-modern leather basketball shoes including the Puma Basket and the adidas Pro Model. Sorry Converse All-Star, your time is up.
4. 1995
Not many companies, period, have years like Nike did in 1995. Yes, Michael Jordan was off playing baseball. But with Sergio Lozano's epic Air Max runner and the one-two punch of the Air Max Uptempo and Zoom Flight on the basketball court — not to mention tremendous signature shoes for both Penny Hardaway and Charles Barkley — they (prepare for blasphemy) didn't even really need MJ. Not that they didn't try. In '94 and '95 they rolled out deluxe retro versions of his first three sneakers, correct to nearly very detail, and packaged in special boxes with glossy postcards. The response? A huge yawn. Months later pairs could be found for as little as $20. Other companies had, well, interesting approaches — Fila's Grant Hill line, Converse's jagged Voltage, Reebok's Blast, etnies' Jordan-inpsired MC Rap skate shoe — but this was the year of the Swoosh.
3. 1985
The introduction of Nike's Air Jordan represented both an end and a beginning. If you've read Bobbito Garcia's tremendous "Where'd You Get Those?," you know that for him — and many of his city sneaker connoisseur brethren — the first Air Jordan was seen as something of a step backwards, especially from 1982's revolutionary Air Force 1. But for the rest of the country, the $65 Air Jordan was an introduction of sorts. It made the sneaker more than just another article of clothing to be worn and discarded, or a piece of specialized sports equipment for obsessives. The sneaker had entered the mainstream, and as it turned out, it was there to stay. (Yes, there were other sneakers in 1985. No, it doesn't really matter.)
2. 1996
It's rare that you get an NBA rookie class as good as 1996's — let alone one that would make such an immediate (and widespread) impact on the sneaker world. There was Allen Iverson with Reebok, Kobe Bryant (and Antoine Walker) with adidas, and Stephon Marbury with And 1, not to mention John Wallace with Karl Kani. Of course Nike had their usual take as well, with Ray Allen, Marcus Camby and Shareef Abdur-Raheem among others. Outside of the basketball realm, there was another battle being waged via technologies — adidas had Feet You Wear, Reebok had Hexalite, and Nike had divided things into Zoom and Max. New Balance had introduced the 999, evolving their line of 9-series runners. Even skate shoes were getting more technical. And of course there was the Air Jordan, looming over everything. Michael Jordan's return to the game was marked by the most futuristic Air Jordan yet — the Tinker Hatfield designed Air Jordan XI had actually debuted in the 1995 NBA Playoffs, but the patent-leather wrapped, carbon-fiber equipped sneaker was a 1996 model. Meet the future.
1. 1987
Let there be light. Starting in the late '70s, technology was finding its way into sneakers like never before. All sorts of cushioning systems had been implemented — many of them by adidas alone — and athletic footwear had reached a point where it was being treated as advanced athletic equipment. "Cross-Training" was invented as a category, basketball shoes were huge in every sense of the word. At the same time, the merging of sneakers and street culture was becoming not only noticed, but sanctioned by the companies themselves, as Nike turned out the Safari and adidas made their partnership with Run-DMC official. Also, smaller companies like Diadora were making their impact felt with shoes like the Maverick. But 1987 was really about one thing — Air Max. Nike had developed their Air cushioning back in the late '70s, but in 1987 Tinker Hatfield's Air Max runner let the tech burst from the midsole and be exposed to the world. Talking about a revolution.