The average person wears sneakers. And in today's world, they've gained an air of acceptance in the high-fashion world. In its recent article,The Sneaker Comes of Age, the The New York Times talked to the #menswear set—most notably Complex editor Jian DeLeon, Gilt's Tyler Thoreson, and Jon Buscemi—and found that they now prefer a pair of Common Projects Achilles or New Balance 998s over a pair of Alden Indys.
"Every other guy in Milan and Paris was suddenly rocking orange-and-electric-blue Nike Flyknits with his summer suit,” Thoreson told the Times.
But although the paper properly identifies the increased popularity in practical, everyday sneakers, the overall authenticity of the article misses the ball. It focuses on how fashion has adopted sneakers, but it's made to feel like $400 sneakers are being integrated with $800 for style editorials—rather than a genuine look into how sneaker culture has infiltrated and caught the eye of those who push the buttons at touted publications.
The piece had great promise, though—a handful of people featured in the article have an appreciation for, or are deeply entrenched in, the roots of sneaker culture. And it serves as a testament that sneakers aren't just a niche commodity that only exist on Saturday mornings and are discussed on dark, Internet forums. They've made their way to the feet of the men who are influencing and running New York City's editorial and sartorial worlds.
You can see the full article at NYT.
