SNEAKERS Fashion, Gender and Subculture, by Yuniya Kawamura, Bloomsbury, 2016

A rare academic sociological analysis (from a US standpoint) of the sneaker culture which goes beyond the mere objects and focus on those who wear them.

3 things in it that rang a bell :

“Sneaker enthusiasts have more of less experienced a moment when they fell deeply in love with sneakers, and they remember exactly how and when their fascination started.” p. 84

“Footwear is a tangible cultural object, while fashion is an intangible cultural idea and belief.” p. 82

“Sneakers are a subtle and a latent expression of conspicuous consumption. The general public would not recognise their value, and only the insiders are able to share the meaning, and that is the very reason that community can be called a ‘subculture’” p. 3

OUT OF THE BOX, The rise of sneaker culture, Skira Rizzoli & American Federation of Arts, 2015

ART & SOLE Contemporary Sneaker Art & Design, by Intercity, Laurence King, 2008

L’ODYSEE DE LA BASKET, comment les sneakers ont marché sur le monde, by Pierre Demoux, La Tengo, 2019

THE ART OF SNEAKERS, by Ivan Dudynsky, Powerhouse Books, 2019

COLLAB, sneakers x culture, by Elisabeth Semmelhack, Rizzoli, 2019

SNEAKONOMIC GROWTH :  Scarcity, Storytelling, and the Arrival of Sneakers as an Asset Class, by Dylan Dittrich, 2019

SNEAKERS : TEH COMPLETE COLLECTORS’ GUIDE, by Unorthodox Styles, Thames & Hudson, 2005

NIKE CHRONICLE DELUXE 1971 > 1980, Lightning

EN MODE SPORT, Somogy Editions d’art, 2015

DRIVEN FROM WITHIN, by Michaël Jordan & Mark Vancil, Atria Books, 2006

BOWERMAN and the men of Oregon, by Kenny Moore, Rodale, 2006

OPEN, by Andre Agassi, Harper Collins, 2010

THE NEW LUXURY, Defining the Aspirational in the Age of Hype, Highsnobiety & Gestalten, 2019

THE IN-COMPLETE HIGHSNOBIETY GUIDE TO STREET FASHION AND CULTURE, Highsnobiety & Gestalten, 2018

SNEAKER WARS, The enemy brothers who founded adidas and puma, by Barbara Smit, Ecco, 2008

A detailed book about the complex story of the European family that shaped the sports business industry throughout the 20th century : the Dassler.

5 things in it that rang a bell :

“Stripes. had long been used by the Dasslers and other shoemakers to strengthen the sides of their shoes, but most of the time they weren’t visible because they were made of the same leather as the rest of the upper, nearly always black or dark brown.” p. 32

« The boot-maker (i.e Adi Dassler) had come up with an invention that would become known as adjustable cleats, or studs – to be screwed on or off, to varying lengths, depending on the state of the pitch. » p36

« There is no denying that Horst Dassler saw, much more sharply than others, the prospects of the sports-rights business. » p145

« Over five decades he (i.e Adi) registered nearly seven hundred patents to his name » p161

« The most damaging flop was due to Horst Dassler’s drive to move away from performance sports » p207

SHOE DOG, by Phil Knight, Simon & Schuster, 2016