(Lucia Marquez-Uppman • The Student Life)
There comes a time in every sneaker-turned-fashion-enthusiast’s life when the realization occurs that the rest of an outfit matters just as much, if not more, than the pair of shoes on your feet. It’s truly a sad moment — until you look around and realize how ridiculous people look wearing hoodies and sweatpants with sneakers worth $2,000 on the resale market.
Clearly, people seem to be coming to their senses, because nowadays fashion as a whole is much more popular than sneakers. Donald Trump’s recent appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia will only accentuate this trend.
But where did it all go wrong? How did we go from the glory days of Supreme campouts and Yeezy splash pages to a world where maybe one major sneaker release each month fully sells out?
For proper context, we need to travel back to 2020. The pandemic hits, but the sneaker market is absolutely booming.
Kanye West is still putting out new shoes, USPS/UPS/FedEx are all up and running and Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Reebok are thriving. People are spending their stimulus checks on Travis Scott Nike SB Dunks instead of food for the month. Life is bliss.
Now fast-forward to almost two years later, in late 2021. People are coming to accept their new normal and inflated prices from the pandemic are making their way back down to earth.
Nike’s premier silhouette for the last few years, the Air Jordan 1, has been vastly overproduced and is now selling for under retail in most colorways. People are also discovering new social media platforms like TikTok that promote different sneakers or ways to dress instead of the same styles that have saturated the sneaker market of recent memory. Kanye has swapped his Yeezy Boosts for Balenciaga Crocs. Even Balenciaga itself has stopped placing such a heavy emphasis on its sneakers, choosing to focus instead on different types of footwear.
If you’re a guy getting into fashion, you’re watching videos on what kind of loafers and Sambas to style with your vintage Carhartt outfit — not what kind of Yeezys to wear with your Supreme hoodie.
“But where did it all go wrong? How did we go from the glory days of Supreme campouts and Yeezy splash pages to a world where maybe one major sneaker release each month fully sells out?”
Times have changed and multiple factors are at play. Mostly, though, it’s the long-winded entanglement between streetwear and high fashion that’s to blame.
I hate talking about Virgil Abloh because everyone talks about Virgil Abloh. But he is a great example of said entanglement solely because when he went to Louis Vuitton, he didn’t make screen-printed hoodies and basketball sneakers like he did for Off-White and Nike. He made legitimate (albeit streetwear-inspired) high-fashion looks. And people bought them.
I’m not saying that he alone caused this cultural transition, but when a celebrated streetwear designer succeeds in marketing high-fashion looks to formerly streetwear clientele, the trickle-down effect via celebrities and social media is massive. At the very least, it opens the door for brands other than Louis Vuitton that make more affordable clothes that toe the line between streetwear and more formal, thoughtful looks.
Aimé Leon Dore (ALD) surged in popularity because of how gracefully it navigated these two stylistic camps and leaned heavily into the latter as the tastes of the general public began to evolve.
Now, we’re in a world where the jacket or pants you wear matter just as much as the pair of shoes on your feet. And honestly, thank goodness for that.
So — where do we go from here, with the playing field leveled? It turns out there’s a lot more variety to sneaker alternatives than there is to sneakers themselves.
Luckily enough, if you’ve adopted a certain aesthetic, there’s practically a predetermined option that works better with most of your outfits than anything else.
For those still on the ALD train, loafers and Timberlands are always a safe bet. Larger silhouettes tend to pair well with bulkier options like combat or engineer boots, but I am personally enamored with the big pant/small pointy shoe combo. For that, derbies, some loafers and even slippers like Bode’s house shoes are perfect.
Realistically, though, very few people dress the same every day and even those who do appreciate a little variety. I tend to prefer boots, but even within that category of shoe, there are many different constructions, materials and silhouettes to work with. Hiking boots go with streetwear outfits, backzips can be more formal and designers like Rick Owens who make absurd boots resembling any of the ballast designs can provide a chic, unique look to anyone willing to pay.
While a lot of innovation in this category may come from designer brands, most sneaker alternatives have been around forever, so there exists a wide range of affordable second-hand options.
Not that anyone cares in 2024, but just for the sake of continuity, Kanye’s latest footwear of choice are old military bunny boots, conveniently available for less than $100 across all e-commerce platforms.
Seriously, though — you won’t know exactly what you’re looking for until you’re able to try stuff on with outfits you wear consistently. Comfort is an important element here, too; most sneakers can be daily drivers, but hard-soled shoes are notoriously rougher on the feet. So experiment and figure out what works best for you, even if that’s sneakers!
There’s certainly no shame in being different from Kanye anymore.
Gus Gingrich PO ’24 is from Walnut Creek, California. In his free time, he enjoys stressing over being outbid on Japanese auction websites and mocking up re-designs for his dorm room closet.
Facebook Comments