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When we hear the word sneakers, we associate it with sports or casual wear. Sneakers came into trend when basketball players like Michael Jordan wore them to their matches. With its soft and flexible rubber sole, sneakers offer comfort which is impossible to let go. Gone are the days when sneakers were just confined to sportswear. Today, many people wear sneakers for work. Moreover, sneakers have now become a go-to footwear.
From common people to celebrities, everyone prefers to wear sneakers for work and casually, just like any other footwear. The trend of wearing sneakers is escalating so immensely that people are wearing them frequently like any other shoes, sandals, or slippers. From sports persons to working professionals to politicians to common people like us, nobody is left behind in adopting this trend.
Ever since COVID-19 broke out and people started working remotely, they have become used to comfort and relaxation. Thus, wearing sneakers for work became a prevailing trend. From high heels and standard leather shoes/boots, working professionals prefer to wear sneakers for work.
In this article, we will discuss how sneakers emerged as sportswear and transformed into everyday casual wear to office wear. Furthermore, we will shed light on business people and celebrities who have not only donned sneakers but also break the trend of wearing traditional and formal clothes to work.
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History of Sneakers
Before we get into the details of how sneakers became a fashion trend, we will first look into the history of sneakers. John Boyd Dunlop founded the ‘Liverpool Rubber Company’ in 1830, and introduced sneakers. He came up with the idea of attaching canvas to rubber soles. Eventually, the British started to wear them on the beach, in the Victorian era. Moving on, in 1908, ‘The Converse Rubber Shoe Company’ launched shoes for basketball players, named All-Stars. Later on, in the 1920s, basketball player Chuck Taylor promoted Converse’s shoe line, All-Stars which became famous worldwide.
However, the craze for sneakers continued. Addidas, a famous sportswear company, launched in 1924, manufactured sneakers with leather soles and hand-made rubber spikes, which were worn by famous American athlete Jessie Owens, in the 1936 Olympics. Nike, another well-known sportswear brand launched its sneakers called Cortez in 1972. Since it was a newly launched company then, it observed the emerging trend for fitness among adults in the 1970s. Therefore, they designed Cortez sneakers in a way that was comfortable for running.
Moreover, Nike further tweaked the design and made the shoes more colorful and its logo more prominent. Nike’s Cortez sneakers gained much popularity when it was worn by famous Hollywood actor and now filmmaker Tom Hanks in the movie ‘Forrest Gump’ in 1994. Following the events, people started wearing sneakers for fashion, rather than just for comfort or fitness.
Later on, Nike finally launched its Air Jordan 1 shoe for basketball players in the year 1985. They went on to promote their new sports shoe collection with celebrity endorsement. Therefore, they signed Michael Jordan to wear Air Jordan 1 shoes, as he was one of the most popular basketball players in America. Nike designed their Air Jordan 1 shoe in red, white, and black color so that it matches the NBA team Chicago Bulls uniform.
Ever since Michael Jordan wore Air Jordan 1 shoes to his matches, it gained immense popularity and recognition. However, it came with a cost. NBA, at that time, had a rule that players had to wear white shoes and hence were not allowed to wear any colorful shoes like Nike’s Air Jordan 1. Nike then paid a $ 5,000 fine to the NBA after every match. But the cost paid off. Michael Jordan was a sports icon, with immense popularity and a huge fanbase. Therefore, his fans followed the legacy and started wearing Air Jordan 1 shoes.
Furthermore, Addidas collaborated with a famous American rap band Run-DMC, in 1986. They launched a song named My Addidas in exchange for a sponsorship with the brand. This too gained tremendous fame and appreciation. Now we will move on to the most essential part of the article, which is how wearing sneakers turned into a fashion.
How did sneakers become a fashion trend?
As mentioned earlier, wearing sneakers casually or daily became a fashion trend right after Michael Jordan wore Air Jordan 1 shoes to his matches. Not only did it contribute to the brand’s popularity and fame, but revolutionized the trend for wearing sneakers. As people of all age groups including children went on to wear Air Jordan 1 shoes, it changed the mindset of people about wearing sneakers. Therefore, sneakers were not confined to sports and fitness wear but rather became everyday footwear that can be worn on any occasion. People who wanted to flaunt their style among their peers wore Air Jordan 1 shoes. Thus, wearing sneakers started to become a fashion trend at that time and continues today.
If we talk about Air Jordan 1 shoes, people still love to wear them today and it seems that this trend will never fade away, but rather will elevate with time. Moreover, there are several working professionals and business entrepreneurs who are trendsetters in wearing sneakers for work. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were always seen wearing sneakers whenever they came on stage to talk about their company Apple and Facebook, respectively. Therefore, it proved to be a game changer for wearing sneakers to work and everywhere trend.
Today, many tech companies allow their employees to dress casually at work. Rather than asking their employees to wear suits and leather shoes, they encourage their employees to wear anything they like and feel comfortable with. Companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and Facebook allow their employees to wear casual/informal attire, including sneakers, to work. Apart from this, the trend of wearing sneakers for work has proliferated so rapidly that now it is crucial to know how to carry sneakers with formal business attire.
Moving on, although there are several ways to put on sneakers with formal business attire, we will share the most common and easiest ways with you.
Wear it with a formal suit
You can simply show off your sneakers along with a formal suit. You can wear sneakers of any color, but all-white sneakers will look best on fitted dress pants and a shirt. You can wear white color sneakers with any color, but contrasting and matching is totally your call.
Wear it with bell-bottom pants
White color sneakers will look best on an all-black suit with wide-legged or bell-bottom pants. You need to be careful that the hems of your pants are on the ankle and sneakers are visible enough.
Wear it with a dress
Women who want to pave their way into entering the trend for wearing sneakers, can go ahead and try it out with a slip, midi, and mini dress. Although it's best to wear white sneakers, you can tweak the color of your sneakers and dress.
Wear it with a pencil skirt
If you are going to work wearing a pencil skirt and a fitted top, rather than wearing heels, just put on sneakers of any color, and rock the show.
Celebrities who slayed their look in sneakers
Apart from working professionals and employees of the tech industry, celebrities are not left behind in following the trend of wearing sneakers, just like any other footwear. These celebrities include Bella Hadid, Kanye West, Kylie Jenner, and many more who continue to make heads turn around with their sneakers. They have proved that wearing sneakers is not limited to sports and exercise, but rather a style statement.
Conclusion
The trend of wearing sneakers for work is not something that just emerged and escalated suddenly. Rather, it has come a long way, dating back to the 20th century. After considering all the events that contributed to sneakers being a fashion trend, we come to the conclusion that Air Jordan 1 shoes worn by Michael Jordan was the event that triggered this trend. Moving on, a novel thing about this fashion trend is that it continued to date even after 38 years, unlike any other fashion trend that just fades away after some time. Adding on, the trend of wearing sneakers for work is still evolving and taking its shape and form, and we can expect it to creep into other industries apart from tech.
