Sneaker Culture at Friends Select

Lucas Kim|March 1, 2022

Sol Coleman ‘24 in Off-White x Jordan 1 Europe exclusive. Virgil Abloh, first released the Jordan 1 Chicago collab in 2017, a year later he continued working with the Jordan brand, and released the Europe Exclusive Jordan 1.
Quaye Agoyo ‘22 wearing customized Converse Chuck Taylor’s.
Gavin Ewing in the ‘25 New Balance 990’s. Released over 40 years ago, there have been 5 versions made since then.
Zion Todd ‘22 in low top vans. Vans is a skateboarding brand created in 1966. 
Liam Danford ‘25 in Nike Huarache. Created in 1991 by designer Tinker Hatfield who’s done a lot with Jordan brand sneakers, including the Jordan 4, and Jordan 3.
Elijah Pagan ‘25 in Nike Vapormax. A more recent shoe model, released in 2017, was an innovation as it was the first Nike shoe with one single air unit.

In a recent survey done at Friends Select on popular shoe brands, Nike brand sneakers were the most popular. The survey included shoe brands like Adidas, Nike, Converse, Jordan, and Vans. This February 3rd survey asked ten random students from each grade their favorite sneaker brand. The results for each grade: Jordan and Converse tied with 4 votes for the freshmen class, while the sophomores voted 4 times for converse, and 3 for Vans. The juniors had Nike at the top with 5 votes, and the senior class had 7 votes for Nike.

For some background on the five companies, Nike was founded in 1964 by Oregon track coaches Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, under the moniker “Blue Ribbon Sports.” They released their first shoe in 1972 and rebranded to Nike incorporated in 1978. Nike has since exploded across the world, with the “Nike Swoosh” being recognized throughout the whole world. Some of their most well-known shoes include lines like Air Force 1, Cortez, Dunks, and so many more. 

Adidas was created in 1949 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler. They released the Sambas in 1950, which is now a very well-regarded shoe. They have since released sneakers, cleats, and clothing. Adidas has also had collaborations with musicians like Kanye West.1 

Jordan was created in conjunction with Nike and Michael Jordan. With different designers, they had made numerous iterations of the shoe from version 1 up to 33. Since its inception, they have collaborated with many celebrities like Travis Scott, Drake, and Eminem and brands like Off-White and Dior.2 The history of Jordan also plays a big part in why people wear it. Jonas Gruber ‘22 says, “I like how they have history going back decades, which is why it’s my favorite brand.”

The oldest brand, Converse, was created in 1908 by Marquise Mills Converse. Their most well-known shoe, the Chuck Taylor All-star, was the official shoe of the NBA until the other leading shoe companies jumped into the scene.3 Quaye Agoyo ‘22 explains, “I think I like Converse the most, due to the versatility along with the ability to be able to customize the shoes with art.”