The 10 Most Influential Sneakers of the Decade

Just as fashion saw major shifts across all facets of business this past decade, so did footwear. Now a multi-hundred-billion dollar industry, footwear owes much of its meteoric rise to sneakers and its surrounding culture. Once a niche underground world living within long release lines and internet forums, this collecting subculture found its way into the mainstream, becoming the launching point for many young people’s infatuation with fashion. Sneakerheads were thrusted into the global spotlight when certain coveted releases during the early part of the decade caused absolute pandemonium. News outlets, local and international, covered the chaos that ensued at malls and boutiques alike, from the overnight campers, to the fights, riots and arrests. Despite the apparent dangers however, people became fascinated by this world, the camaraderie it promotes and the status it brings. Now it seems everyone has a sneaker “collection” at home. At the same time this mainstream adoption was happening, fashion and footwear were deep in a digital revolution, where blogs and ecommerce supplanted longstanding print publications and physical storefronts. Brands and retailers looked at the disarray that was now following traditional in-store releases, and began digitizing sneaker culture, creating social media communities, online raffle systems, augmented reality experiences and more. Soon, demand for product, vintage and new, outgrew supply, leading to the secondary market boom of the lat