Who invented the first sneaker?
Daniel Santos
Updated on December 28, 2025
Wait Webster
The very first sneaker was invented by Wait Webster in the 19th century. Of course, it wasn’t called a sneaker then—and it looked very different. Plimsolls, as they were called, featured thin rubber soles, an equally thin material on top, and were the preferred footwear for active activities.
When was the first sneaker created?
1830s
The first sneakers appeared in 1830s England, when Liverpool Rubber bonded a canvas outer onto a vulcanised rubber sole, creating the original sand shoe for the Victorian middle classes to wear on the beach.
Which country invented sneakers?
This style of footwear also became prominent in America at the turn of the 20th century, where they were called ‘sneakers’. In 1892, the U.S. Rubber Company introduced the first rubber-soled shoes in the country, sparking a surge in demand and production.
Who created sneaker culture?
The birth of sneaker collecting, subsequently creating the sneakerhead culture in the United States came in the 1980s and can be attributed to two major sources: basketball, specifically the emergence of Michael Jordan and his eponymous Air Jordan line of shoes released in 1985, and the growth of hip hop music.
What is the oldest sneaker brand?
Brooks isn’t playing the same game as the rest of the market—and that’s why we should all be paying attention. Brooks is one of the oldest sneaker companies in the world, founded long before Nike, Adidas, and Puma.
What is the most expensive sneakers in the world?
These are the 20 most expensive sneakers ever made:
- Air Jordan III OG – $4,500.
- Nike Yeezy 2 Red October – $7,500.
- Vlone x Nike Air Force 1 High – $8000.
- Adidas NMD_R1 Friends and Family – $10,000.
- Nike Air Mag Back to the Future – $14,500.
- Air Jordan 4 Undefeated – $15,000.
- Air Jordan 10 OVO – $20,000.
Is sneaker culture black?
Considering the wealth gap, this fact leaves out a large population of the people who made sneaker culture what it is today – Black people. While sneakers existed before the 1980s, they rose in popularity as a fashion statement and status symbol during that period.
What is the best selling sneaker in history?
Top Selling Shoes of All Time
- Reebok the Question 23.
- Converse Weapon 24.
- Nike Air Zoom Huarachie 2K4 25.
- Nike Air Zoom Generations 26. Nike Air Moore Uptempo.
- Air Jordan III 27. Air Jordan IV.
- Air Jordan V 28. Nike Lebron Zoom VII.
- Nike Air Pippen II 29. Air Jordan XXI.
- Air Jordan XII 30. Nike Air Zoom Huarachie 2k5.
What’s the most expensive thing in the world?
What are some of the most expensive things in world today?
- Graff Diamonds Hallucination Watch – USD 55 million.
- 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO – USD 70 million.
- Bluefin Tuna – USD 3.1 million.
- Antilia, Mumbai – USD 1-2 billion.
- Manhattan Parking Spot – USD 1 million.
- Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi – USD 450 million.
Who popularized af1?
The Air Force is a range of athletic shoes made by Nike that began with the Air Force 1 and went on to include the Air Force 2, Air Force 3, Air Force STS, Air Force 5, Air Force XXV and Air Force 09. The Air Force 1 was created by designer Bruce Kilgore and was the first basketball shoe to use the Nike Air technology.
What is the number 1 selling shoe in the world?
Athletic Footwear With footwear sales of $28.0 billion in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2021, Nike is still number 1 in the global sneakers market.
Why did Kanye West leave Nike?
After parting ways with the Swoosh in 2013, the rapper described his relationship with the brand as “heartbreaking,” reporting that their breakup came after Nike refused to pay him royalties for his Nike Air Yeezy line.
Where was the first sneaker invented?
England
When did sneakers start?
Matthews said many Sneakerheads trace the origin of the movement to the 1970s and ’80s, when sneakers were popularized by basketball icon Michael Jordan, and also by hip-hop stars who were known not just for their unique rhythms, rhymes and lyrics, but also for their style or their “swag.”
Why are sneaker prices so high?
Shoes designed to stay cool, weigh very little or provide mega protection are expensive. Innovation and the time and money it takes to achieve it drives up prices. Without the economies of scale in production to bring them back down again, you pay more. Limited distribution – It’s the law of supply and demand at work.
What is the oldest shoe brand in America?
Frye
What I didn’t realize until I wrote this article is that Frye is the oldest shoe brand in the United States. In 1863, John A. Frye opened the first Frye store on Elm Street in Marlboro, Massachusetts, creating one of America’s original heritage brands.What is Adidas most expensive shoe?
The 10 Most Expensive Adidas Sneakers of All-Time
- Human Race Trail Chanel and Pharrell NMD – $11,135.
- Friends and Family Burgundy – $8,215.
- R1 Primeknit Friends And Family – $5,184.
- You N.E.R.D.
- R1 Overkill Firestarter – $4,350.
- Futurecraft 4D – $2,892.
- Pitch Black Friends & Family – $2,570.
- NYC Red Apple edition NMD -$2,074.
Who was the first person to invent sneakers?
The word “sneaker” is often attributed to American Henry Nelson McKinney who was an advertising agent for N. W. Ayer & Son. In 1917, he used the term because the rubber sole made the shoe stealthy. The word was already in use at least as early as 1887, as the Boston Journal made reference to “sneakers” as “the name boys give…
Where did the name sneakers for tennis shoes come from?
The word was already in use at least as early as 1887, when the Boston Journal made reference to “sneakers” as “the name boys give to tennis shoes.” The name “sneakers” originally referred to how quiet the rubber soles were on the ground, in contrast to noisy standard hard leather sole dress shoes.
When did Adidas make the first athletic shoe?
Sneakers went international in 1924. That?s when a German man named Adi Dassler created a sneaker that he named after himself: Adidas. This brand became the most popular athletic shoe in the world.
How did the history of sneakers change over time?
As companies like Nike, Reebok and Adidas competed, they changed the way sneakers looked, adding wild colors and doing away with laces. Sneakers began to be produced for every sport, including walking, skateboarding and ?cross training.? New sneaker technologies increase performance.
