Image Keds No takers for Navy Champion Slip-ons (1 Viewer)

[keds81]

After a long time, Keds finally rolled out a new pair of Navy canvas champion slip-ons, but I have yet to see any in the wild. It’s sad that most attractive women have given up on Keds and gone with clunky sneakers like Hokas. The only sighting I had in recent times was a 30-something South Korean woman at the community swimming pool wearing an old pair of chillax Keds sockless with the backs mashed down. She had 5 kids in tow and looked like a harried busy mom.

 

[Matt82]

Just got back from traveling to the EU. Very few sneakers in Germany (no Keds maybe a few chucks). However flying I saw three white champs on various flights: leather champs on a 50-60 women, brand new white canvas on a 40ish Filipino mom and slightly worn canvas or leather (couldn’t tell) on a 20-30 year old. Rather good considering the times.

 

[keds2001]

View attachment 2471456After a long time, Keds finally rolled out a new pair of Navy canvas champion slip-ons, but I have yet to see any in the wild. It’s sad that most attractive women have given up on Keds and gone with clunky sneakers like Hokas. The only sighting I had in recent times was a 30-something South Korean woman at the community swimming pool wearing an old pair of chillax Keds sockless with the backs mashed down. She had 5 kids in tow and looked like a harried busy mom.

Friend I 100% completely agree. The Keds days seem LONG over! All I see EVERYWHERE are those ugly AF hokas, new balance, nike and converse platform CLOWN shoes. The small, slim, sleek, sexy canvas style sneakers are DEAD! Even the Vans out there are the lezbo stripe old skools. The large, heavy, leather, clunky shoes these little chicks are wearing are SO GD UGLY I cannot even fathom when they thought they were cute. And they have gotten their Gen X mom's/Gma's to ditch the cute shoes for these ugly monstrosity's. I do NOT see a way back for Keds and similar styles. ZERO marketing, costs WAY too much, have become even more narrow and uncomfortable than they used to. They have also made them WAY harder to even find and try on, almost no store sells them and even target and Payless type storse have stopped making this style. I think they just use the company as a tax write off and enjoy their losses because they sure don't act like a company that gives AF if people buy their product. RIP Keds, Vans Lo Pros, Knockoffs.

 

[RobinsonSST]

The Keds days seem LONG over! All I see EVERYWHERE are those ugly AF hokas, new balance, nike and converse platform CLOWN shoes. The small, slim, sleek, sexy canvas style sneakers are DEAD!

I agree. And a lot of is due to overall changes in values beyond sneakers, too. Corporate marketing (or, lack thereof) has very much changed perceptions. If a woman wears a business suit that was traditionally for men, it is considered empowering. If a man wears anything feminine, it is socially taboo. Women have no issues wearing unisex shoes or shoes that used to be considered masculine, like Converse or Vans for skateboarding, where skateboarding was dominated by men in the 90's. Back during much of the 20th century, a woman was a tomboy if she wore clunky, ugly "man" shoes. Today, it is totally normal. It almost feels like wearing sneakers that are sleek, streamline and feminine is beneath them. Men, except for select people, won't wear a woman's sneaker. Like you said, these feminine shoes are often too narrow even if men could. Here in Minnesota, I see Hoka's all over the place, white AF1's, and various athletic running sneakers. Even the original unisex canvas Vans Authentic is dead. I only see the suede Vans Old Skool with the stripe if I'm lucky.