Sneakers Are So 2006
05/18/2006
Sneakers are toast. Over. Done for. They've been too cool for too long. Now the party is over. The running shell game of "limited" editions and premium colorways will keep the sneaker con running for another couple of years, tops. Come 2008, you'll still see sneakers here and there, on the feet of old ladies and actual athletes. But the days of grown men dressing as though work were gym class are quickly coming to an end. Instead, he'll want work shoes that mean business: loafers, wing tips, and big black leather boots. His stoner roommate will switch to Birkenstocks or flip-flops, both of which offer superior performance for those long afternoons on the couch.
First to go will be the wretched quasi-sneakers, those brown leather Prada and Diesel turds that look like half shoe, half slipper. Next will be the "classics," your Ponys, your Reeboks, your Adidas, your Le Coq Sportifs. Finally, the mighty Air Force one will go down. (Not Nike, though. They own Cole Hahn, after all.)
Evidence? We suppose you'd probably like some. First off, the ghetto always hears the news first. They know the sneaker apocalypse is coming. That's why they switched to Timbs. Second, we ask you to remember the baseball card fad of the 80s. As soon as something gets its own magazine, trouble is on the horizon. When people start talking about their purchases as "investments," you know it's a bubble. And when manufacturers have to start issuing special limited editions to maintain consumer interest, the end is nigh. Give it a few months and your neighborhood hipster's Air Force One collection will be gathering dust in his closet alongside his special rookie holograms and his Donruss Diamond Kings.
Marc Ecko: Sneaker Pornographer
Posted in Apparel | Permalink
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