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PLIMSOLES
In the late 18th century, people wear rubber soled shoes called plimsoles, but they were pretty crude—for one thing, there was no right foot or left foot -
FIRST SNEAKERS
First sneakers, called Keds, created in the US. Nicknamed "sneakers" because they are so quiet you can sneak around. -
KEDS MASS PRODUCED
Keds began to be mass produced. (They got the nickname because they were so quiet, a person wearing them could sneak up on someone) -
CONVERSE
Basketball star Chuck Taylor publicly endorses Converse All-Star shoes. They will become known as Chuck Taylors. -
ADIDAS IS BORN
German Adi Dassler creates Adidas. -
CHUCK TAYLOR AND CONVERSE
Converse Rubber Shoe Company drafted basketball player Chuck Taylor to improve their basketball shoe – the All-Star – in 1921.
Chuck Taylor ushers in the era of celebrity shoe endorsements. -
ADIDAS WORLD ACCLAIM
Track star Jessie Owens wore Adidas when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. -
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE
"Rebel Without A Cause" comes out and its star, James Dean, sports sneakers. -
NIKE CORTEZ
Nike takes sneakers beyond function, into the realm of fashion
Nike created the ideal shoe for the Me Generation: the Nike Cortez. -
GUCCI TENNIS
In 1984, Gucci released an Italian-made tennis shoe with the brand’s signature green and red stripes on the heel, and “Gucci” printed on the tongue. -
MJ & NIKE
Michael Jordan signs contract with Nike, to wear a shoe called "Air Jordan." Air Jordans would go on to earn Nike billions of dollars. -
SUPERSTAR
No one embodied the early hip-hop aesthetic as fully as rapper-DJ trio Run-DMC, whose signature look was rope chains, Adidas tracksuits and shell-toe Adidas Superstars. Now the signature look is emblematic. -
PLATFORM LACE
Sneakers go for baroque