He wasn't Michael Jordan by any stretch of the imagination, but what he gave to the brand was an authenticity, it was a means of endorsing the athletic potential and athletic promise of the shoe. Elizabeth Semmelhack More Quotes by Elizabeth Semmelhack More Quotes From Elizabeth Semmelhack Sneakers were the first way that men could start to take sartorial choices and I think that men continue to take their greatest sartorial choices at the footwear level. Elizabeth Semmelhack politics The colors that Elizabeth Semmelhack see in sneakers, the bold designs, oftentimes Elizabeth Semmelhack don't find those reflected necessarily in other garments that men wear. Elizabeth Semmelhack politics When the first sneakers debuted [in the 1800's], they were themselves luxury items, we're kind of coming full circle in a weird way. Elizabeth Semmelhack living Kanye West was an active participant in the creation of this collection at Louis Vuitton, he represents a new image of male success that involves access to these luxury brands. But it's not simply being a consumer, it's being a creator. Elizabeth Semmelhack living This is one of the first times when a brand that's so female identified is now eagerly embraced and worn by men, sneaker culture is suggesting a huge shift in constructions of masculinity ... They allow men to participate in fashion in a way that does not at all call into question their masculinity, so men are able to partake in the luxury associations that are made between shoes and fashion. Elizabeth Semmelhack living I think of it as a transformer shoe: it's a business brogue in the midst of being transformed into a sneaker, it just speaks to what is a very transformative moment in men's fashion. Elizabeth Semmelhack living Their participation in the sneaker game was very prescient. They were getting in there much earlier than any of the other brands we see doing it now. Elizabeth Semmelhack living The sneaker is segueing away from simply being a fitness shoe to being a fashion shoe. Elizabeth Semmelhack living He becomes an icon of individuality, of bucking the trend, and the shoes that he wears suddenly become something that every guy wants to have. Elizabeth Semmelhack living They go on to disseminate this urban style to a much wider audience, and the Superstar becomes this extremely graphic, very visual signifier of urban fashion. Elizabeth Semmelhack living It shows a move away from a shoe designed for elite athletic purpose or even playground purpose, and was shifting the sneaker design toward an expression of style. Elizabeth Semmelhack living
