SNEAKERS, NOT ONLY SHOES

 

 

Sneakers for Americans, trainers for  the British, these shoes born as sports shoes,  to be worn doing sport, in the years have become a  fashionable object of desire, the most popular and best favourite youth footwear,  even  a piece of collection.

From 1970s to 2000s, from sport to fashion, sneakers dominate the consumer market now. Wearing Nike or Adidas sneakers is cool! They are a must everybody wears on formal or informal occasions.  Everybody owns at least a pair in their wardrobe.

In addition the growing presence of “sneakerheads” who collect and trade sneakers  ensure that they maintain a cult status. Nike and Adidas routinely release limited editions shoes associated with a celebrity, hip-hop star or athlete. In this way they create a desire in the people that want those specific shoes, who are willing to queue through a whole night and spend part of  their salary. Because your shoes tell about yourself, express your personality say the psychologists, besides affirming your social status.

 

Why are sneakers so popular?

They are so popular for various reasons. All can wear them, men, women, teenagers , children; age and sex is not a problem. There are a lot of models which you can choose from casual , elegant, vintage, eccentric, glitter, trendy. They  are suitable for every outfit and can be worn with jeans  or  skirts. They have appeared in Valentino’s and Gucci’s fashion shows recently. They also appeared in many movies worn by famous stars and VIPs. But,  probably, their strong point is that they are more comfortable and durable than other kinds of shoes.

Can sneakers be a danger for the environment?

 

According to the World footwear Yearbook over 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced every year. Their production has got an environmental impact of CO2 emissions. A 1,4% of greenhouse gas emission comes from fashion shoes industry.

Moreover they are produced in countries as Twain or Mexico where the workers are exploited and don’t  have any kind of rights, where standards of material used and quality is difficult to check. Most trainers are made of plastic (PET) and Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) ,and chemical products that produce a lot of carbon dioxide. At the end of their life they are burned, only a little part can be recycled.

Africa is becoming of great rubbish dump of fashion items. For this reason the most famous brands are working on sustainable sneakers using a new material like organic rubber made in Brazil.

 Agnese, 3sc