Never has there been a more egalitarian item in our wardrobes than the trainer. Worn by everyone from infant school pupils in PE classes to elite athletes on the Olympic rostrum, from rock'n'roll legends to royalty, from supermodels to supermarket workers, the sneaker – as it is known in America – is the shoe that keeps everyone's feet on the ground.
Rapper Snoop Dogg wears Adidas Superstars. Photograph: Buzz Foto/Rex Features The trainer, in all its guises, is so ubiquitous that an exhibition dedicated to exploring its place in society opens next week in London. Sneaking into Fashion – Tracking the Trainer's Journey through Popular Culture examines how the functional sports shoe became not just the everyday wear for the most sedentary of couch potatoes, but aspirational attire for the image-conscious elite.
"The unique collection I've chosen for this exhibition tells the story of the development of trainers from simple generic plimsoll to fashion staple; a cornerstone of popular culture, sport and style," says Tory Turk, the 28-year-old curator, who personally favours Nike Air Max in sorbet shades.
The 40 exhibits include Mo Farah's Nike Volts, worn at London 2012, and the yellow Asics Onitsuka Tiger Mexico style worn by Uma Thurman in the film Kill Bill. There's a pair of Liam Gallagher's Adidas plimsolls, which symbolised the terrace culture of football fashion and Britpop, plus a pair of Buffalo platform trainers worn by Mel B of the Spice Girls at the 1998 Brit awards.
Today, even though we all have a pair, trainers have become a 21st-century status symbol, ranked according to their brand, style and rarity value. President Barack Obama has a bespoke pair of red, white and black Under Armour basketball shoes with the presidential seal emblazoned on the tongue, while Michelle Obama caused controversy when she handed out meals at a Washington DC food bank in Lanvin satin pumps that carried a $540 price tag.
Elle Macpherson does the school run in neon pink Nikes, while the Duchess of Cambridge showed her support for Team GB this summer in Adidas Supernova Glide 4 Running Trainers in red and metallic silver. Kanye West designs his own limited-edition Air Yeezy 2 range for Nike (a pair of which sold on eBay this year for more than $90,000)
Though many are content with a cheap, anonymous pair from the supermarket, trainer connoisseurs seek out rare "deadstock" – unworn styles from the 1970s and 1980s – which are sartorially superior for those in on the secret.
Daniel Savory, co-founder of fashion brand Trainerspotter, has been collecting deadstock Nikes for more than 20 years and has a passion for the heritage-rich brand. "I grew up with Nike, and experienced the boom of American pop culture in the 1980s and early 1990s," he says. "It was aspirational: even David Hasselhoff wore Nikes in Knight Rider. Nike was also developing state-of-the art technology, staying one step ahead, which gave it one-upmanship status over other brands."For many, the classic £25-a-pop Green Flash Dunlops are perfectly functional (they have sold 25m pairs), while for others the £120 version, customised by Anya Hindmarch, is the only shoe to be seen in. Yohji Yamamoto, Jeremy Scott, Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Liberty of London and Comme des Garçons have also collaborated with brands to create limited-edition designs that are snapped up on pre-order and can fetch a fortune on eBay.
"Trainers have always been popular in different sectors of society, such as the street scene or the music industry," says Turk. "But they are having a 'high fashion' moment now, in particular with wedge trainers. They aren't particularly new – Vivienne Westwood put a version on the catwalk back in 1983, for example – but they've reached a critical mass this time around."
Designer Isabel Marant was a catalyst in the latest incarnation of the wedge trainer with her £400 Bekket and Willow styles, each featuring a hidden heel, paraded by Beyoncé and Miranda Kerr. But it is an Italian brand, ASH Footwear, which brought its take on the Sport Luxe trend to the high street, with the likes of Victoria Beckham and Lindsay Lohan all adopting its suede Bowie style, with hordes following suit.
"We would normally order about 15,000 pairs, but for summer 2012 we added an additional 30,000 to meet demand," says Claire O'Connor, head of sales at ASH. "This is definitely more than a passing fad: the metallic trims are more of a seasonal look, but the Bowie has appealed to lots of age groups and women who might not normally wear trainers. We've included lots of versions for spring 2013, and the Bowie will almost certainly become a staple in our collection now."
While wedged trainers have become a widespread hit, in-the-know fashion editors are sporting the Nike Flyknit, a high-performance, super-light (160g) running shoe with an upper crafted from a single piece of "techno-fabric" knitted from recycled polyester/PET bottles. You heard it here first.
Article by: Karen Kay
Source: The Guardian
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