This year, Christie’s embarked on a new journey with the start of Department X. Now, the auction house has a dedicated space for auction and private sales for sneakers as a category with a focus on streetwear and collectibles. From offering history-making footwear to iconic pieces of hype culture, Department X builds on Christie’s understanding of popular culture, following the recent success of Six Rings—Legacy of the GOAT, featuring rare Michael Jordan sneakers and collectibles.
It also showcases Kanye West’s impact on the landscape of design and sports iconography with Nike air yeezy 1 prototype, which was the first sneaker West designed with the sportswear giant’s creative director Mark Smith and designer Tiffany Beers in the Nike Innovation Kitchen. The first Air Yeezy 1 prototype was worn during West’s historic act at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008.
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From US vice president Kamala Harris wearing sneakers in her campaign trails to American record producer and rapper DJ Khaled offering fans an Airbnb stay for a night this year in December (cost per night is $11, approximately Rs 897.97)—a figure picked as a nod to Khaled’s shoe size —in his impressive sneaker closet in Miami.
There seems to be a rise in sneaker culture around the world. With this, there has also been a rapid growth trajectory in customising pairs, new launches and designs.
Keeping pace
Sneakers can never go wrong, no matter the era. For instance, ‘dad sneakers’ (oversized sneakers in retro style) are a big trend now. “The chunky kicks add a sporty flair to the look when paired with baggy jeans or can even look chic when paired with a short skirt or a dress,” says Manisha Malik, master franchisee and India head of Pazzion, a Singapore-based shoe label.
“Many brides pair their embellished lehengas with comfy kicks… Now that’s the beauty of being practical without compromising on style and sneakers can add that factor,” adds Malik, whose brand is synonymous with comfort and style.
The pandemic was also a learning period for sneaker brands to restructure business or introduce new styles. Harkirat Singh, MD, Aero Club (makers of Woods and Woodland), says, “As a brand known for quality and innovative offerings, we have been in the Indian market for over three decades and have seen transitions in style, organised market, brand values, et al. Online sales gained traction in the pandemic, being the only medium of sale/purchase. There is also a shift towards a younger population, and consumers are becoming brand conscious.”
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In August this year, Nike expanded its maternity collection, Nike (M), to support women across the globe during all stages of pregnancy and beyond. “Being a mother isn’t a one size fits all role, and we applied that mindset with our inclusive design approach while creating the Nike (M) collection,” says Carmen Zolman, VP of innovation apparel design at Nike. “The more we listened to expecting mothers and postpartum mothers, the more we learned and reworked the capsule to fully support her relationship with sport and movement during such a transformative time in her life,” she adds.
The brand with retail partner Camp India has launched a Nike Delhi store this year with an assortment of hyperlocal products to personalise totes and tees with designs created by local artists. Nike Delhi houses products dedicated to performance such as Vaporfly and Alpha Fly shoes that are worn by Nike athletes like Shelly Ann Fraser Price, Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge. “It is a meeting point of sport, culture, youth and style,” says Tarundeep Singh, senior director, Nike Stores, southeast Asia and India, adding: “The store has been redesigned to bring the best of innovations for the fitness enthusiasts, serve women better, create more opportunities for kids to get active and offer a seamless end-to-end consumer experience to our members.”
A Skating Monk (ASM), a streetwear fashion brand by the makers of Woods and Woodland, has introduced a completely new category of sneakers for skateboarding enthusiasts. “Canvas sneakers are best casual, daily wear, and extremely lightweight. There is a lightweight leather sneaker in the offing for between 16-25 years,” says Gagandeep Singh, CEO, ASM.
Bata India has gone through a portfolio transition in the last three years in terms of enhancing offerings in fashion and comfort. Gunjan Shah, MD and CEO, Bata India, says, “Casualisation and sneakerisation are dominant in the footwear industry. The versatility of sneakers offers a compelling blend of style and comfort, which fulfills the consumer needs of great styles and comfort available at a great price proposition. We have introduced new Sneaker Studios in stores which showcase 300 styles and nine brands. By rolling out over 150 Sneaker Studios across our network, we offer a one-stop solution in walking, running, fitness, lifestyle or outdoor shoes,” says Shah, who has seen the demand for the sneaker category grow 40% in the last few years.
Sneakerhood by Ajio.com, a fashion and lifestyle brand, curated a collection of over 10,000 sneakers from international and premium Indian brands like Adidas Originals, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, ASICS, Converse, DC, FILA, Nike, Puma, Reebok, Adidas, Replay, Superdry and many more. “The growth of sneakers in India indicates its infinite versatility, and its stature across the work-life spectrum,” says a spokesperson of Ajio.com.
The presence of international brands with their complete offerings and ranges available in India, catering to the growing sneaker market, is what is powering sneakerheads in the country. Another contributing factor is having the brand’s limited editions available to the masses.
New styles have made a comeback with fashion houses introducing cult models in their collections. The Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Don is a lace-up shoe, available in red, black, cream, patchwork and anthracite; Chanel has gone nostalgic with the 1990s’ style of wedged sole in a sneaker; Louis Vuitton Archlight sneakers come with oversized sole or Dior’s expertise encapsulated in unique and strikingly on-trend trainers—the legendary Dior Fusion and new, ultra-fashionable Dior Happy slip-ons.
Best alternatives
This year was all about embracing environment-friendly wear. As per Taran Chhabra, co-founder and CEO, Neeman’s, a sustainable footwear brand as a category in India that plans to continue intensive research and product development toward exploring diverse natural and sustainable materials, “New eco-friendly fabrics will be popular in the coming year, giving consumers options to slip-on style, tough and durable shoes.”
“Our typical customer is aged between 28 and 40 years and resides in metro cities, constantly on the move and prefers to travel light. They are concerned about the environment and open to trying products that are good for the planet,” adds Chhabra, who has seen 15x growth in the last 12 months of business, sold over 7.5 lakh pairs in the last three years, and served over 5.5 lakh customers till date in the segment.
The vegan alternatives to leather — synthetic, vegetable, or recycled materials — offer the possibility of wearing sneakers while supporting the animal cause and respect the planet. For instance, Reebok’s plant-based running shoe is made of eucalyptus, algae, and castor beans. The Forever Floatride GROW is an update of Reebok’s award-winning Forever Floatride Energy shoe. Unlike traditional petroleum-based footwear, this iteration is derived from plants and other renewable agricultural elements. It is the brand’s belief to drive a positive impact on the planet with shoes that are ‘made with things that grow’.
Adidas, too, collaborated with Stella McCartney for the Stan Smith sneakers, crafted from vegetarian leather. The brand has leveraged some of the ground-breaking technology behind the records to launch the new Adizero SL, a shoe designed to help runners propel their training to the next level.
ASICS SportStyle launched a Gel-Lyte III CM 1.95 that emits 1.95kg CO2e across its life cycle, representing a significant leap forward by ASICS in its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Saurabh Sharma, marketing head, ASICS India, says, “ASICS has long been committed to exploring and testing sustainable methods through our value chain to reduce our impact on the planet. We’re committed to ensure the long-term viability of the planet. As a brand, we achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.”
Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger launched the Mexico 66 Cactful sneaker, a new version using a cactus-derived material more than 20% in the upper for the first time which features a production process that targets reducing environmental impact and meets the quality and product standards established by Onitsuka Tiger’s intelligent technology and can be deployed on a global scale.
