“You can never have too many shoes.”
In the past, this saying had been associated with women who had an addiction to buying any cute pair of shoes they saw. But lately, this stereotype is starting to break trend. More men now have ever-growing collections of sneakers from some of the most popular brands of shoes. Women are even starting to stray a bit from the heels and flats trend and are moving to sneakers.
Fashion and celebrities have always gone hand-in-hand with shoes. From Nike and Air Jordans to Doc Martin’s and Louboutin heels, shoes are an item that tie people from almost any walk of life together.
This new trend of collecting kicks began in part thanks to hip hop, rap and sports. Many sports brands like Nike, Air Jordan and Adidas can be seen on the feet of these fans. Not only do they promote these companies, but each sneaker has a unique style that showcases an individual’s personality.
They even provide the wearer with a sense of connection to the famous music artists that they love and admire. It’s a way for fans to participate in the celebrity world.
For example, Clipper’s Chris Paul has an entire room in his house for every pair of Air Jordan’s that he owns. There are so many shoes that he calls it a “museum.” 49ers Colin Kaepernick — who has been in the news recently for unrelated reasons — has his entire home garage filled from top to bottom with a Nike collection.
It has become such a popular culture that in 2015, a documentary, “Sneakerheadz,” came out, focusing on the history behind the culture and even touching base on the violence that occurred in the 1980s around the sneaker collecting world.
This extreme need to have the latest and greatest clothing can sometimes turn into an obsession, which can ultimately culminate in large collections. While shoe collecting may seem like a strange fad to jump into, it’s a fast growing trend around the world, particularly in regards to sneakers. Collecting sneakers is gaining hype not only in the U.S. but worldwide.
According to Jordan Muto of Today.com, sneaker buying domestically generates up to $22 million dollars a year and up to $55 million dollars a year internationally. One individual pair of sneakers can cost up to $17,000.
Sneaker collecting has created an atmosphere where the phrase “You can never have too many shoes” should no longer be associated with a gender stereotype.
