State of Sneakers: 10 Things That Exist in Sneakers Today That We Never Thought Would Exist

Time has changed the entire industry.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Sneakers, and all the peripherals around them, have changed an awful lot since the start of the modern era (which, for this discussion's sake, coincided with the release of the Air Jordan 1 in 1985). From tech to community to the very way they're bought and sold, everything about sneakers seems to be in a constant state of evolution. And for those of us who've been in it since the start, there are some things that might seem perfectly normal now that were absolutely unimaginable back then. As the State of Sneakers week continues, check out 10 Things That Exist Today in Sneakers That We Never Thought Would Exist and feel free to share your own in the comments section below.

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Hyped up release dates.

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Sneaker conventions held in arenas.

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Mainstream media doing feature stories about sneakers.

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Re-selling as a business.

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Every era of sneakers being available - at retail - simultaneously.

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Sneaker-specific cleaning products.

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Signature sneakers for non-athletes.

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Signature sneakers for retired athletes.

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People making a living off sneakers who don't design them, make them, sell them, or endorse them.

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A virtual, global community.

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