American Sneaker Brands

Start

Famous American Sneaker Brands!

Next

A penYour exploration worksheetYour assigned menuYour best mood

what you need:

Discover one of three different American brands

Find out about your assigned brand and take as many notes as possible.Be ready to report back to the class.

Converse

Menu B

Vans

Menu C

Allbirds

Menu A

The menus

Study the photos and take notes

Next

Step 1: photo analysis

Step 2: text analysis History of the Allbirds Company

Next

Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger cofounded Allbirds in 2015 as a sustainable-footwear company with a mission to "make better things in a better way, through nature." Zwillinger previously worked as a vice president of industrial products at a biotechnology company. Brown's background included serving as the vice-captain of New Zealand's soccer team.Allbirds roared to life in 2016 with a Kickstarter campaign that hit its $30,000 goal in five days. The company ended up raising nearly $120,000 to make a wool running shoe designed to make a lighter environmental impact than traditional athletic shoes.In 2016, Allbirds received B Corp certification, a designation given to companies that work to advance environmental and social causes, and shareholder concerns. (…)In only its second year in business, Time magazine said Allbirds' hero product, the Wool Runner, was the "World's Most Comfortable Shoes." (…) In August 2017, Allbirds got another shot of national publicity when The New York Times described Wool Runners as part of the Silicon Valley uniform.A month later, Allbirds opened its first store, a 1,450-square-foot location in New York City's Soho neighborhood. The company operates 58 stores today.By 2020, Allbirds' popularity had spread well beyond Silicon Valley. President Barack Obama was spotted wearing Wool Runners repeatedly. (…)[In early 2023] the company released what it said was the world's first carbon-negative shoe, which it calls the M0.0NSHOT. Matthew Kish and Ben Tobin, May 10, 2023, in businessinsider.comAllbirds are showing they are not just a New Zealand [and American] brand, holed up in a factory making shoes. They are an international brand with a message to share and they are committed to sharing it. In allgoodtales.com

Step 3: video analysisWatch the video and take notes

Next

Signature materials and craftsmanship With Mother Nature as their muse, Allbirds’ sustainability is intrinsic to the trailblazing brand. And all of their renewable materials are carefully considered and ethically sourced. Starting out as Allbirds’ trademark, Merino Wool was chosen for its premium softness as well as its low impact on the environment. New Zealand’s enormous sheep count provides all the wool for Allbird’s materials, using processes that require 60% less energy than it typically takes to manufacture synthetic fabrics. Plus, the superfine natural material is breathable, moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating. Continuing to build on Mother Nature’s brilliance, Allbirds has extended its footwear range to include Tree Runners and Tree Dashers made from eucalyptus fibers. Not only is the material biodegradable, but the chemicals used are recoverable and recyclable. The eucalyptus trees also rely entirely on South Africa’s rainfall, requiring no irrigation and minimal fertilizer. This means that the process uses 95% less water and half of the carbon emissions of materials like cotton. Sugar Cane is another one of the brand’s superheroes in nature. Hitting the sweet spot (sorry, we had to) between comfort and sustainability, the lightweight soles also come with a non-existent footprint. In fact, Sweetfoam is the world’s first carbon-negative EVA polymer, meaning that it actually has a net-effect of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rather than adding to it. (…) [Now] everyone wears Allbirds. Whether you’re a professional athlete, career-driven boss, vegan yogi, or fashion aficionado, Allbirds has its place in your rotation. Adapted from: https://luxe.digital/brand/allbirds/

Step 4: Text analysisAllBirds: A Sustainable Company

Next

Study the photos and take notes

Next

Step 1: photo analysis

Step 2: text analysisA History of the Converse All Star

Next

In 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts, Marquis Mills Converse founded The Converse Rubber Shoe Company. Although initially a producer of rubber-soled galoshes, by 1917 Converse was ready to venture into the world of basketball, and set out to create the company’s first performance athletic shoe. The precursor to the “All Star”, the “Non-Skids” consisted of a rubber sole and a canvas upper designed specifically for athletes. (…)The first basketball shoe was born. Four short years later, American semi-professional basketball player Charles “Chuck” Taylor joined the company as a salesman, and his impact was monumental in every aspect. (…)Taylor understood the value of good marketing and branding, opting to incorporate the now-iconic All Star logo on a circular patch above the ankle. Taylor’s signature was added to the ankle patch, officially creating the “Chuck Taylor All Stars,” the first athlete-endorsed signature sneaker, in 1922. (…)Chuck Taylor All Stars transcend sneakers. Over the past century, titans of culture including Elvis Presley, James Dean and Steve McQueen all, at one time or another, strapped on All Stars.(…) The shoes prolonged influence on not only basketball, but sneaker culture as a whole remains unrivaled. Above all, All Stars have always been democratic, affordable shoes worn by those with taste, talent and a sense of history. Former Chicago Bulls player Dennis Rodman said it best: “Growing up in Texas, I wore Chuck Taylors til they fell off...I was poor. I had nothing, but I felt like I had something in those shoes. They’re the shoe.” June 2019, Grailed.com

Step 3: video analysisWatch the video and take notes

Next

Kamala Harris’s preference for non-traditional footwear was first seen last year when she was a Democratic presidential hopeful, and appeared in Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars.(…) Ever since James Dean wore his, Converse has become the go-to shoe for the rebellious and the outcasts. “Chuck Taylors have a long history of being used to convey ideas of authenticity rather than hype,” says [Elizabeth Semmelhack, the author of Sneaker X Culture: Collab]. Fans have included Andy Warhol, the Ramones, Karl Lagerfeld and Kurt Cobain.Nick Engvall, the founder of Sneaker History, thinks Harris’s choice of sneakers rather than the traditional business attire worn by politicians on the campaign trail could mean she will “appeal to others like myself who feel it makes her more authentic or normal”. Jeff Carvalho, the co-founder of Streetwear website Highsnobiety, thinks they will “help her connect not only to a younger audience but also to the important Gen X crowd”.Culturally, they are also “a quintessentially American sneaker,” says Semmelhack. But Harris’s US is in contrast to Donald Trump’s blindingly white one, and she is making a statement about the country she represents. A biracial woman whose parents met while protesting for civil rights in Oakland in the 60s, Harris is stepping into a political landscape where, for example, 90% of the Senate is white. As Bobbito Garcia wrote in Out of The Box: “The progenitors of sneaker culture were predominantly … kids of colour who grew up in a depressed economic era.” September 2020, by Priya Elan, in theguardian.com

Step 4: Text analysisSneakers: defining your identity

Next

Study the photos and take notes

Next

Step 1: photo analysis

Step 2: text analysisHistory of Vans shoes

Next

Vans is a North American manufacturer focused on footwear and apparel for action sports. Founded on March 16th, 1966 by brothers Paul Van Doren and Jim Van Doren (alongside partners Gordon Lee and Serge Delia), the company first opened its doors at 704 E. Broadway in Anaheim, Calif. as the Van Doren Rubber Company.Over the last 55 years, the brand has gone from a Southern California gem to a globally-recognized force in shoes. Its humble origins include a same-day, custom shoe-making process, which differentiated it from other footwear companies at the time. A direct-to-consumer strategy allowed for competitive pricing, as well as the reputation for one-of-a-kind shoes. In the early 1970s, the Van Doren Brothers gained a larger consumer base than before thanks to skateboarders taking a liking to the Style #44 deck shoe, better known as the Vans Authentic. Its rugged makeup and sticky sole proved beneficial to the droves of skaters throughout SoCal. (...) The Vans Era (...) joined the brand's lineup in 1976, introducing a padded collar and different color combinations; it was designed by Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, two legends within the skateboarding world. (...)Throughout the years, the California-institution has captured the loyalty of countless individuals with classic models. (...) Vans Slip-On (Style #98) (...) was featured on Sean Penn's character in the 1982 film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” in its signature Checkerboard pattern. After the release of the movie, the Slip-On became a go-to style for people all over the world. The Vans Sk8-Hi of 1978 and Vans Steve Caballero of 1988 (a signature shoe) further cemented the brand as a force to be reckoned within the skate community.Despite still focusing on skateboarding, BMX and other action sports, the West Coast company has garnered notable attention among streetwear enthusiasts. (...) Vans shoes continue being among the most affordable brand-name styles on the market, with adult sizing of popular models ranging from $50 USD (Slip-On) to $70 USD (Sk8-Hi). Adapted from https://sneakernews.com/category/vans

Step 3: video analysisWatch the video and take notes

Next

Vans and MoMA are dropping sneakers with works from history’s most iconic artistsMost FJ (aka FashionJournal) readers would agree that style is an art form, but Vans has taken that a step further this year by actually turning art into shoes.After dropping (and quickly selling out) a Vincent Van Gogh capsule range in 2018, the brand decided to bring more art-inspired pieces to the table. To do so, Vans has teamed up with one of the foremost contemporary art galleries in the world: New York’s Museum of Modern Art. (...) The collaboration is now expanding into a full two-part collection, featuring both shoes and apparel inspired by the diverse range of artists showcased in the museum.Part one of the collection, which drops today, centres exclusively on footwear. Classic Vans styles have been updated with some of the world’s most iconic and recognisable modern masterpieces.The Salvador Dalí sneaker interprets the artist’s surrealist, dreamlike style as a pair of Vans Old Skools. Imagery from Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory appear on the canvas upper, while the shoe’s construction and foxing stripe are distorted for an extra trippy, reality-bending look.The Kandinsky celebrates the colour and emotion of abstract art using the artist’s 1923 print Orange and the Vans Classic Slip-On silhouette.Rounding out drop one is the Claude Monet style, which borrows from Monet’s renowned Water Lilies series. The artist’s richly-coloured, impressionist landscapes adorn the lace-up Vans Authentic. (...) By Maeve Kerr-Crowley, in fashionjournal.com

Step 4: Text analysisSneakers turning into art

Next

Well done!

Now you're ready for Step 5:- share your findings- prepare a quiz - present your brand to the other groups!