Sneaker collecting is the acquisition and trading of sneakers as a hobby. It is often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding. A person involved in sneaker collecting is sometimes called a sneakerhead.
Sneaker collecting came to prominence in the 1980s in New York City and can be attributed to two major sources: basketball, specifically the emergence of Michael Jordan and his eponymous Air Jordan line of shoes released in 1985, and the growth of hip hop music. The boom of signature basketball shoes during this era provided the sheer variety necessary for a collecting subculture, while the hip-hop movement gave the sneakers their street credibility as status symbols.[1] Sneakerhead culture has extended beyond shoes designed for particular sports, and overlaps with streetwear trends and styles. By one estimate, the sneaker resale market was worth US$10 billion in 2021.[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Skidmorewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hills, Megan C. (July 5, 2021). "How collecting sneakers became a multi-billion-dollar industry". CNN. Retrieved 2023-03-25.