FASHION

SAYONARA PUMPS, SAY HI TO SNEAKERS

WORDS

by KRISTOPHER FRASER

PHOTOGRAPHY

by TATIJANA SHOAN

The higher the heel, the closer to God…or maybe not. Heels have long been a staple in most women’s wardrobes, and a fame maker for brands like Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik. However, women have been trading in their pretty pumps for stylish sneakers at a rate that is revolutionizing the fashion industry.

With the growth of athleisure and sportswear, people were completing their looks with sneakers. Formal wear also isn’t a requirement for many workplaces anymore, so out came the sneakers.

Sneakerhead culture is at its peak right now too. Sneakerheads are those who collect and trade sneakers as a hobby. Over the past several years between limited-drops from brands like Nike and Adidas, sneakerhead culture has grown into a global phenomenon.

Women have also moved on from their Carrie Bradshaw shoe collection aspirations of Christian Louboutin and Prada pumps. That’s not to say they are not invested about what’s on their feet anymore, quite the contrary. Her tastes have evolved to sneaker products from brands including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Balenciaga.

Ladies are ditching their designer pumps for more comfortable, yet still high-end footwear. ThredUp, the world’s largest thrift store, has reported they have seen a surge in people dumping their high heels, with a 38 percent increase in women donating their heels earlier this year. Meanwhile, sneaker sales have increased on the website by 46 percent. In 2017, sales of high heels declined by 11 percent in the United States, according to NDP Group’s Retail Tracking Service. At the same time, women’s sneaker sales were up 37 percent overall in the same period.

Nowadays sneakers can be worn with everything from jeans to dresses. Previously, the golden rule for women was to put their comfortable shoes in a bag, and slip on the heels right before they had to go in for business or a formal affair. Like many fashion codes throughout time, that rule has been thrown out.

It’s not just a matter of comfort for some, but also a matter of protest. At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, actress Kristin Stewart removed her heels on the red carpet to combat the rule that women are required to wear them there. More women are also opting to dress for themselves rather than doing what men might find sexy in the face of the #MeToo movement. Actresses Maya Rudolph and Tiffany Haddish even went barefoot on the Oscar’s red carpet this year rather than wear high heels. Tennis star Serena Williams also opted for sneakers at the Royal Wedding afterparty.

“Fashion has always been an interpretation of the overall movements in society. The shift that we see in footwear right now corresponds really well with the health and fitness trend, the individualistic and non-conforming ways of the millenial generation and the empowerment of women, where women can do and wear what they want,” said Kim Lindgren, chief operating officer of Gram Shoes. “We don’t think that people are choosing sneakers over heels but rather comfort and self expression over a more conform view on what fashion is.”

Gram is unique in that they don’t make a distinct separation between the sneakers and traditional shoes like heels. Rather, they consider their shoes a hybrid between sneakers and traditional shoes. Their aim is for people to have fun and play with their personal style, and not worry about if they are following trends or not.

“In a bigger picture we want to change a stagnant shoe industry,” said Lindgren. “Since long it has stopped being all about the love for the product and the care for the end consumer and instead become a machinery of production, distribution and cutting costs at the expense of comfort and environment. Being a small company with a dedicated team, we have the possibility to be truly creative and truly unique. We can take chances and risks and make footwear that no one else can. And we do. And as long as most of the sneaker companies are pushing boundaries creating newness, most of the fashion oriented people are going to choose sneakers over heels.”

People are also playing with their daily looks more. Back in the day, people had one look they stuck with one for a long time, now they are going through several different looks in one week in an “anything goes” type of fashion. With unique sense of style becoming the new luxury, there is also a demand for more unique sneaker looks.

There’s no denying the extreme growth of the sneaker industry, and there’s a million ways to make and style a sneaker now. Sneaker culture is queen of the shoe space, and the ladies have hung up their heels.

MORE FROM AS IF

© 2018, AS IF MEDIA GROUP

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

AS IF MAGAZINE

ABOUT

CONTACT

NEWSLETTER

PRIVACY POLICY

TERMS OF USE

SITE MAP

SUBSCRIPTION

SUBSCRIBE

CUSTOMER SERVICE

SEND A GIFT

SHOP

PRESS CENTER

ADVERTISING

IN THE PRESS

GET IN TOUCH

FOLLOW US

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

YOUTUBE