Athletic Shoe Brands

Before jumping off on this subject, your scribe must confess to being a shoe fanatic. Everything from athletic footwear, more formal shoes, lounging slippers, and of course, flip-flops, there’s nothing better than footwear. Period! When you think about an outfit, you’ve got three main components – the top, the bottom, and then the very bottom, the shoes. For women, the top and bottom can be one, a dress, for example. It’s rare with men as we don’t typically wear one piece items. But for both sexes, footwear is its own thing.

Athletic shoes have a long and storied history. In 1890 the famed tire company, Goodyear, took advantage of their “rubber know-how” and began to manufacturer shoes. That shoe would later be named Keds. Nearly twenty years later, Marquis Converse forms the Converse shoe company and cements the shoe into basketball lore forever. By the 1920s, Keds are selling like hot-cakes, and meanwhile, in Germany, Ali Dassler begins to make shoes, literally by hand, in his parent’s washroom without electricity. These would go on to be called Adidas.

Stateside, Nike was getting its start, changing its name from Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike, a nod to the Greek Goddess of Victory. From here, Adidas and Nike embarked in a fierce battle with a host of others – Puma, Converse, New Balance, Reebok, and Vans nipping at their heels.

When it comes to the top athletic shoe brands today, Nike and Adidas still hold the mantle. Some have Nike ahead, others Adidas. Also, depending on the sport (basketball, tennis, running etc) one might perform better than the other. Between the two, Nike appears to understand how to market itself better, while Adidas has turned the industry into more of a science. Nike will hype a shoe on social media, traditional outlets, via celebrities and athletes, and then once everyone is collectively worked up, they will drop it on sale. Adidas, by contrast, has literally been experimenting in a lab, many outfitted with 3D printing to bring about new fabrics and designs. Their massive win with webbed soles and the Kanye West shoe has brought them as close to competing with Nike as ever.

But there’s more than just these two, right? Of course, as we mentioned above, Puma, Converse, New Balance, Reebok, and Vans are also significant players. New Balance, for example, is enormous in the running world. They’ve also successfully navigated their way into the “fashion sneaker” world and are prevalent around the globe. Puma was founded by the brother of Adidas founder, Adi Dassler. What a family! This German staple is now more frequently associated with fashion than sports performance, but it is still a big player in international soccer circles.

Vans broke into the athletic scene with a sport that was never considered a sport – skateboarding. Van-culture is now ever-present, found anywhere from skate parks at Venice Beach to the streets of Manhattan. Kids, adults, and even toddlers are Vans-heads, proud to rock the slip-ons or the high-tops.

This is such an enjoyable sector to write on. If you’re a sneaker-head, you already know. They add that special little something to every outfit.