I'm doing this from memory, but maybe someone could do more research on the topic, or add their memories. Maybe we can make this a group project.
The History of Sneakers
I don't know when the first sneaker was invented, but I do recall seeing pictures of the first modern Olympics in the early 20th century where the contestants wore what appears to be leather shoes.
My mother made reference to wearing Keds when she was a girl during the Great Depression. They were "poor" people's shoes. Because of this, she has resisted wearing sneakers at all except under conditions where they were absolutely required. However, she had no problems putting my sister into them as a child.
From this, I can deduce that sneakers were invented between 1900 and 1930.
I remember as a child in the 1950's that there were only two basic kinds of sneakers:
Keds and Keds knock offs for girls and Converse All-Stars and knockoffs for boys.
The Keds for girls came in one basic color for the longest time: white. They were the traditional canvas oxford with crepe rubber sole. There must have been some variation either in the Keds styles or among the knock offs, because I recall that when my sister was about 10 (I was about 8 -- this makes it the late 1950's), my sister was very particular about trying to get sneakers with a more pointed toe.
A peculiar thing about girls in those days at least, was the attitude towards their sneakers. Brand new and white was not tolerated, other girls would "step" on the sneakers to "christen" them. The girls also had elaborate lacing rituals that indicated some status or other. I can also remember my sister writing the names of all her friends on one of her pairs of sneakers with a pen.
I remember one incident where my mom put "Betty Boop" (a character she can draw well) on my sister's and her friend's sneakers. (I think this when the girls were about 8 or so).
As the 50's gave way to the 60's, color appeared for girls sneakers: first it was Navy Blue, then Black, then Red. In Keds, these had white stitching that contrasted with the canvas color. For some reason, other colors had matching stitching. By the mid-60's, there was a color explosion including plaids, prints, and other designs. Licensed cartoon characters did not appear at this time. Things were less commercial then.
In the 60's there were many knock-offs. There were no K-Marts or Wal-Marts, or chain-style Discount Shoe outlets at the time (there were a couple of independent stores that apparently bought up obsolete styles and resold them.) Shoes were carried by brand name stores such as Thom McCann or Kinneys. The department stores (Sears and JC Penny) carried their own brands. Now that I think about it, I think these outlets contacted the major manufacturers and had sneakers made to their specifications.
For a while (a couple of decades at least) I was also on a knock off fetish, each manufacturer had different style soles.
Keds and their ilk held a virtual monopoly on women?s casual and athletic shoes until the early to mid 70's. There wasn't a girl I knew that didn't wear her Keds to gym. As late as the early 70's I remember women wearing Keds to play tennis; including the pros!
Boys' sneakers took a similar course. Initially, they were black high-top sneakers with a star on the ankle and a rubber toe cap. If girls' sneakers were known as tennis shoes, then these were known as basketball shoes. The evolution was slower in the case of boys' sneakers. The first major change was WHITE sneakers! Then in the early 60's somebody came up with the idea of low-quarter sneakers.
Although I cite Converse as the archetypical boys sneakers, there were many other brands including Keds. I remember a mid-50's TV commercial done up as a black and white cartoon. It showed boys and girls playing various games. I can ever remember the jungle, "Keds, Kids, Keds."
Then, in the mid-1970's came the craze, the running craze. Everyone and her kid sister was into running. Normal Keds and Converse were no longer "in." Gatorade, Body Punch, and Erg replaced water as a thrist quencher. Sweatshirts, jeans or shorts gave way to running suits. Disco, Afros and polyester were in. (The last sentence has nothing to do with sneakers, but it is an indication of how crazy the times were.)
The one good thing about the times is that sneakers were no longer just children's shoes or something to wear only when engaged in an athletic event. The bad news was simple and elegant were out. Sneakers now became a fashion statement, and wearing a cheap pair was not acceptable.
There was a buck to be made, and all of a sudden, multi-millionaire sports players were endorsing various brands of sneakers -- a far cry from cartoon characters. Sneakers went from being inexpensive shoes to very expensive items of apparel.
It was the end of an age of innocence.
There was a resurgence of Keds in the mid-80?s based mostly on the movie "Dirty Dancing." If Patrick Swazey can go crazy over a girl in Keds, than what girl wouldn?t want to wear them. I think also this was an overall reflection of the times. America was nursing a cultural hangover from the 70's and for a while returned to more "traditional" values. It think that there may be a doctorate in there somewhere: "Cultural Values as Reflected in Footwear Choices."
Anyway, that's the history of sneakers as I see it.
The History of Sneakers
I don't know when the first sneaker was invented, but I do recall seeing pictures of the first modern Olympics in the early 20th century where the contestants wore what appears to be leather shoes.
My mother made reference to wearing Keds when she was a girl during the Great Depression. They were "poor" people's shoes. Because of this, she has resisted wearing sneakers at all except under conditions where they were absolutely required. However, she had no problems putting my sister into them as a child.
From this, I can deduce that sneakers were invented between 1900 and 1930.
I remember as a child in the 1950's that there were only two basic kinds of sneakers:
Keds and Keds knock offs for girls and Converse All-Stars and knockoffs for boys.
The Keds for girls came in one basic color for the longest time: white. They were the traditional canvas oxford with crepe rubber sole. There must have been some variation either in the Keds styles or among the knock offs, because I recall that when my sister was about 10 (I was about 8 -- this makes it the late 1950's), my sister was very particular about trying to get sneakers with a more pointed toe.
A peculiar thing about girls in those days at least, was the attitude towards their sneakers. Brand new and white was not tolerated, other girls would "step" on the sneakers to "christen" them. The girls also had elaborate lacing rituals that indicated some status or other. I can also remember my sister writing the names of all her friends on one of her pairs of sneakers with a pen.
I remember one incident where my mom put "Betty Boop" (a character she can draw well) on my sister's and her friend's sneakers. (I think this when the girls were about 8 or so).
As the 50's gave way to the 60's, color appeared for girls sneakers: first it was Navy Blue, then Black, then Red. In Keds, these had white stitching that contrasted with the canvas color. For some reason, other colors had matching stitching. By the mid-60's, there was a color explosion including plaids, prints, and other designs. Licensed cartoon characters did not appear at this time. Things were less commercial then.
In the 60's there were many knock-offs. There were no K-Marts or Wal-Marts, or chain-style Discount Shoe outlets at the time (there were a couple of independent stores that apparently bought up obsolete styles and resold them.) Shoes were carried by brand name stores such as Thom McCann or Kinneys. The department stores (Sears and JC Penny) carried their own brands. Now that I think about it, I think these outlets contacted the major manufacturers and had sneakers made to their specifications.
For a while (a couple of decades at least) I was also on a knock off fetish, each manufacturer had different style soles.
Keds and their ilk held a virtual monopoly on women?s casual and athletic shoes until the early to mid 70's. There wasn't a girl I knew that didn't wear her Keds to gym. As late as the early 70's I remember women wearing Keds to play tennis; including the pros!
Boys' sneakers took a similar course. Initially, they were black high-top sneakers with a star on the ankle and a rubber toe cap. If girls' sneakers were known as tennis shoes, then these were known as basketball shoes. The evolution was slower in the case of boys' sneakers. The first major change was WHITE sneakers! Then in the early 60's somebody came up with the idea of low-quarter sneakers.
Although I cite Converse as the archetypical boys sneakers, there were many other brands including Keds. I remember a mid-50's TV commercial done up as a black and white cartoon. It showed boys and girls playing various games. I can ever remember the jungle, "Keds, Kids, Keds."
Then, in the mid-1970's came the craze, the running craze. Everyone and her kid sister was into running. Normal Keds and Converse were no longer "in." Gatorade, Body Punch, and Erg replaced water as a thrist quencher. Sweatshirts, jeans or shorts gave way to running suits. Disco, Afros and polyester were in. (The last sentence has nothing to do with sneakers, but it is an indication of how crazy the times were.)
The one good thing about the times is that sneakers were no longer just children's shoes or something to wear only when engaged in an athletic event. The bad news was simple and elegant were out. Sneakers now became a fashion statement, and wearing a cheap pair was not acceptable.
There was a buck to be made, and all of a sudden, multi-millionaire sports players were endorsing various brands of sneakers -- a far cry from cartoon characters. Sneakers went from being inexpensive shoes to very expensive items of apparel.
It was the end of an age of innocence.
There was a resurgence of Keds in the mid-80?s based mostly on the movie "Dirty Dancing." If Patrick Swazey can go crazy over a girl in Keds, than what girl wouldn?t want to wear them. I think also this was an overall reflection of the times. America was nursing a cultural hangover from the 70's and for a while returned to more "traditional" values. It think that there may be a doctorate in there somewhere: "Cultural Values as Reflected in Footwear Choices."
Anyway, that's the history of sneakers as I see it.
