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Sneakers: Fashion, Gender, and Subculture
This is the first academic study of sneakers and the subculture that surrounds them. Since the 1980s, American sneaker enthusiasts, popularly known as “sneakerheads” or “sneakerholics”, have created a distinctive identity for themselves, while sneaker manufacturers such as Reebok, Puma and Nike have become global fashion brands.
How have sneakers come to gain this status and what makes them fashionable? In what ways are sneaker subcultures bound up with gender identity and why are sneakerholics mostly young men? Based on the author's own ethnographic fieldwork in New York, where sneaker subculture is said to have originated, this unique study traces the transformation of sneakers from sportswear to fashion symbol.
Sneakers explores the obsessions and idiosyncrasies surrounding the sneaker phenomenon, from competitive subcultures to sneaker painting and artwork. It is a valuable contribution to the growing study of footwear in fashion studies and will appeal to students of fashion theory, gender studies, sociology, and popular culture.
How have sneakers come to gain this status and what makes them fashionable? In what ways are sneaker subcultures bound up with gender identity and why are sneakerholics mostly young men? Based on the author's own ethnographic fieldwork in New York, where sneaker subculture is said to have originated, this unique study traces the transformation of sneakers from sportswear to fashion symbol.
Sneakers explores the obsessions and idiosyncrasies surrounding the sneaker phenomenon, from competitive subcultures to sneaker painting and artwork. It is a valuable contribution to the growing study of footwear in fashion studies and will appeal to students of fashion theory, gender studies, sociology, and popular culture.
- GenresFashionNonfiction
168 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 1, 2021
After I got past my little annoyances, found the subject matter very interesting, and learnt some things about gender and footwear.
September 25, 2025
A decent look at sneakerhead culture which aids an understanding of subcultures in general. There are a few standout quotes, like this one:
“While sneakers are not a sacred object (although they may be from the collectors’ perspective), it is a symbolic object that brings the subcultural members together emotionally and physically. Sneaker enthusiasts treat sneakers as something similar to a totemic symbol that binds them with fellow sneaker fans which in turn brings about “collective conscience” which Durkheim defines as follows (1893: 105): “The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness.”
“While sneakers are not a sacred object (although they may be from the collectors’ perspective), it is a symbolic object that brings the subcultural members together emotionally and physically. Sneaker enthusiasts treat sneakers as something similar to a totemic symbol that binds them with fellow sneaker fans which in turn brings about “collective conscience” which Durkheim defines as follows (1893: 105): “The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness.”
February 19, 2022
not bad. read this to write an essay on subculture fashion
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews