Word: sneakered
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Cool may be our country's most precious natural resource: an invisible, impalpable substance that can make a particular brand of an otherwise interchangeable product--a sneaker, a pair of jeans, an action movie--fantastically valuable. And cool can be used to predict the future. The theory goes as follows: when cool people--a group known to marketers as alpha consumers--start talking or eating or dressing or shopping a certain way, noncool people (a group that most marketers belong to, by the way) will follow them. Watch the cool kids, the alpha consumers, today, and you can see what...
...Sneakers are the all-purpose shoe: universal and utilitarian. Hardly the stuff of fetishes and exotic collections. But that's changing. Retro collectible sneakers, until recently the domain of fashionistas and fanatical sneakerheads, are now a growing force in the athletic-shoe game. The field boasts its own websites, and exclusive, often unmarked rare-sneaker shops are popping up nationwide. These vintage kicks are even the stuff of urban art, with former pro skateboarder Chris Hall planning to display his collection this month at the Aurora Gallery in New York City. In addition, "Sneaker Pimps," an exhibition featuring rare...
...school sneaker collecting first took off in the early '90s as dealers bought out the leftovers of old and discontinued models from the major shoe companies. These pristine, never worn, never even laced shoes are known as deadstock to sneaker freaks, and a particularly sought-after pair (like original Nike Air Jordans) can easily fetch as much as $1,000 on eBay or the sneakerhead websites. At those prices, these prized pairs stay off the feet to maintain their mint condition...
Taking note of this trend, the sneaker companies began dusting off their old styles and reissuing them, often in special colors and limited numbers. Adidas launched its Originals line of rereleases in 2001. Reebok also has a classics division that re-creates '80s models like the Pump...
...teaming up with street-fashion labels in a high-low endeavor that has rocked Japan's fashion scene. Last year, the icon of Japanese haute expression, Yohji Yamamoto, joined forces with Adidas to sell a new line of sportswear, tagged Y-3. This month, Puma will showcase its latest sneaker collaboration with Yasuhiro Mihara, Japan's version of a younger, spikier Manolo Blahnik. Ironically, the decision of these high-fashion designers to come down from their ateliers and mix with the skateboard set is less their own than the imperative of the one sector of Japan's lackluster economy that...