Design Context: OUGD505 - Study Task 1

For this research task I have decided to focus on 'Trainers'. I am someone who has a fair few pairs and is interested in all the different types of trainers/shoes that there are. This makes it an interesting research topic for me because it will benefit me as much as it will for this module.

To start the research off I decided to go with the obvious and look into the background of trainers, where they came from and how they have become what they are today in a fashion item as much as the original use for sport.

Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities.
They are also known as trainers, sandshoes, gym boots, joggers, running shoes, runners, gutties, sneakers, tennis shoes, gym shoes, tennies, sports shoes, sneaks, tackies, rubber shoes or canver.

Plimsolls

Plimsolls

In the late 18th century, people wore rubber soled shoes called plimsolls.
As more families took weekend holiday trips to the seaside, demand for special footwear designed for leisure and the beach increased. Early leisure shoes had a cotton canvas structure with a leather sole - a design that was flimsy and not durable.
In the 1830s, the Liverpool Rubber Company developed reliable and comfortable beachwear with a canvas upper and a rubber sole, with a rubber band wrapped around the shoe to give the footwear a strong structure.
Plimsolls were widely worn by vacationers and also began to be worn by sportsmen on the tennis and croquet courts for their comfort. Special soles with engraved patterns to increase the surface grip of the shoe were developed and these were ordered in bulk for the use of the Army.
British company J.W. Foster and Sons designed and produced the first shoes designed for running in 1895. The shoes were spiked to allow for greater traction and speed. The company sold its high-quality handmade running shoes to athletes around the world, eventually receiving a contract for the manufacture of running shoes for Team GB in the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Keds

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 came up with more comfortable rubber sneakers with canvas tops, called Keds.
In 1916 Keds created the original trainer, the 'Champion'. By 1917, these began to be mass produced.
In 1926 these trainers were starting to be worn for more than just sport - for every day life too.
In 1938 Keds launched a line of 'Kedettes' for ladies. These featured a small high heel which offered a comfortable shock absorbing rubber sole.
In 1950 Keds launched a casual shoe campaign.
In 1960 the 'Pointer' makes it's debut for women.
In 1970 Keds relaunches the 'Champion'.
In 1980 Keds becomes the shoes for teenagers to wear with anything.
In 2011 Keds expands into fashion.
In 2013 Keds get's its first celebrity endorsement in Taylor Swift.

Converse

In 1917, Marquis Converse produced the first shoe made just for basketball, called Converse All-Stars.
In 1923, an Indiana hoops star named Chuck Taylor endorsed the shoes, and they became known as Chuck Taylor All-Stars. These are the best-selling basketball shoes of all time. Soon basketball teams as well as American boys were wearing Converse “Chuck Taylor” All Stars.
In the 1930s Chuck Taylor designed the white high top model for the 1936 Olympics, and the shoe with its patriotic red and blue trim became very popular along with all black canvas and leather models of the All Star.
The classic black and white Chuck Taylor All Star High Top was introduced in 1949.
Chuck Taylor All Stars were the shoe for professional, college, high school, and all serious basketball players, and these distinctive black or white high tops were part of the look of each team.
Since 1949, the basic design of the ‘Chuck’ Taylor basketball shoe has not changed. Converse All Star Chuck Taylor basketball shoes in their distinctive high top and low cut oxford models are the classic American sneaker, and a favourite shoe for people of every age all around the world
In 1957 the low cut All Star was introduced and became popular as a more casual alternative to the high top. By this time Converse had an 80% share of the entire sneaker industry.
In the 1970s, athletic shoes became so popular that many new athletic shoe companies emerged and marketed a wide variety of basketball and other sports and leisure shoes. The Converse "Chuck Taylor" All Star, once the premiere shoe of elite basketball players now became the shoe of the counter-culture and of baby boomers who refused to stop wearing their favourite pairs of chucks.
The shoes became very popular with rock musicians, and younger generations wore them for their distinctive looks, colors, and comfort and as an alternative to the high priced high performance shoes made by Nike and other companies. They were considered a leisure shoe and now were purchased because they were fashionable.
Converse responded by manufacturing chucks in hundreds of different variations that included prints, patterns, unusual colors, and special models for different age groups.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Converse Company began to experience hard times. The ownership and management of the Converse Company changed several times. These changes along with their loss of market share took its toll on the company, and in 2001 they filed for bankruptcy. But the brand was too well established to abandon, and new ownership took over, closing all North American manufacturing and moving the manufacture of Converse athletic shoes from the USA to Asia. The brand was reestablished successfully and the company was eventually purchased by its rival, Nike.
Despite all of the innovations and changes in the athletic shoe industry, ‘Chuck’ Taylor athletic shoes continue to live on. Thousands of pairs of high top and low cut chucks are still sold each week worldwide. Because they are a unisex design, the same sneakers are worn by both men and women, girls and boys.
As of today more than 800,000,000 pairs of chucks have been sold. Unlike other sneakers that lose their popularity, the Converse All Star ‘Chuck’ Taylor still remains fashionable and people who like chucks are fanatical in their devotion to the shoes.

Adidas

In 1924, brothers Rudolf & Adolf Dassler founded the company 'Gebrüder Dassler Schufakbrik' (Dassler brother shoe factory), in Germany. The shoes designed by the pair were worn by Jesse Owens when he won four Olympic gold medals in the 1936 games.
On August 18, 1949, Adi Dassler started over again at the age of 49, registered the “Adi Dassler adidas Sportschuhfabrik” and set to work with 47 employees in the small town of Herzogenaurach. On the same day, he registered a shoe that included the registration of the soon-to-become-famous adidas 3-Stripes.
In 1954 Adidas designed specially made football boots for the German National Team for the 1954 World Cup. These were half the weight of original British football boots and featured screw in studs that can be adapted to ground conditions. When Germany won, these boots became a sensation in the football world.
In 1967 Adidas expanded into tracksuits. When the Franz Beckenbauer tracksuit model celebrated its debut, it became the first piece of apparel for adidas and opened a whole new business to a company.
In 1972, the world turned to Germany when the Olympic Games opened in Munich. Just in time for the event, adidas presented a new logo that was here to stay: the Trefoil. Then, symbolising performance. Today, the adidas Originlas collection stands for lifestyle and street. The 3-Stripes kept expanding to more and more sports throughout the years. This is reflected in the broad range of
athletes who trust adidas to make them better.
In 1984 Adidas introduced the Micropacer - a computer in the shoe - known today as miCoach - providing performance statistics to athletes.
In 1992 Adidas was near bankrupt.
In 1993 Robert Louis-Dreyfus, The new CEO made an almost impossible job seem easy. He understood that the almost bankrupt Adidas did not need to be reinvented, it simply needed a new direction. He turned the sleeping giant from a sales- to a marketing-driven company and steers adidas back on the growth path.
In 1995, six years after becoming a corporation, Adidas went public and its new marketing slogan could not sum it up better: “We knew then, we know now”.

Puma

In 1924, brothers Rudolf & Adolf Dassler founded the company 'Gebrüder Dassler Schufakbrik' (Dassler brother shoe factory), in Germany. The shoes designed by the pair were worn by Jesse Owens when he won four Olympic gold medals in the 1936 games.
In 1947 Puma was founded by Rudolf Dassler - the brother of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler.
In the same year Puma's first football boot 'Atom' was launched. In the first post-war football match in 1950, several members of the German team wore these boots.
In 1952, Dassler developed a football boot with screw in studs, the 'Super Atom'. When launched this became the forefront for Puma and footballs successful relationship for years to come. Development of this began on the enhanced version the 'Brasil'.
In 1954 Heinz Fütterer breaks the 100m world record wearing Puma running shoes.
In 1958 Puma introduced their trademark logo.
In 1960 Puma become the first shoe manufacturer to use the technologically advanced vulcanisation production technique - where the sole and shaft of the shoe are bonded.
In 1977 Puma had established itself as a supplier for top athletes.
In 1985 Boris Becker used Puma shoes & a Puma racket to win Wimbledon.
In 1996 Puma created contact lenses displaying the logo as part of a campaign used at the Atlanta Olympic games.
In 1998 Puma became the first sports brand to merge sports & fashion, co-operating with designer Jil Sanders.
In 1999 Puma launches 'Puma Mostro'. This quickly became a fashion trend and was picked up by fashion icons like Madonna.
In 2001 Puma entered a partnership with Jordan Grand Prix to enter the world of motor racing.
In 2008 Usain Bolt wore Puma as he broke three world records & won three gold medals at the Olympics.

Nike

Nike was founded in 1960 by Bill Bowerman and Phill Knight.
The initial shoes sold were Tiger shoes by Onisuka, a Japanese brand. Knight sent these to Bowerman, who instead of buying them offered to be a partner and provide his footwear designs to Tiger. They then founded 'Blue Ribbon Sport'. Knight sold the shoes out of the trunk of his car while Bowerman tore them apart to see how he could improve them.
In 1965 they hired Jeff Johnson as a full-time employee.
In 1971 Johnson created the first product brochures, print ads and marketing materials, and even shot the photographs for the company’s catalogues. He established a mail-order system, opened the first Blue Ribbon Sport retail store, and managed shipping/receiving. He also designed several early Nike shoes, and even conjured up the name Nike.
Around this same time, the relationship with Onitsuka was falling apart. Knight and Bowerman were ready to make the jump from being a footwear distributor to designing and manufacturing their own brand of athletic shoes.
They selected a brand mark today known internationally as the “Swoosh” which was created by a graphic design student at Portland State University named Carolyn Davidson.
The new Nike line of footwear debuted in 1972, in time for the U.S. Track & Field Trials.
One particular pair of shoes made a very different impression on the dozen or so runners who tried them. They featured a new innovation that Bowerman – an outsole that had waffle-type nubs for traction but were lighter than traditional training shoes.
With a new logo, a new name and a new design innovation, they needed an athlete to endorse and elevate the new Nike line. Steve Prefontaine.
Pre challenged Bowerman, Johnson and BRS in general to stretch their creative talents. In turn, he became a powerful ambassador for BRS and Nike, making numerous appearances on behalf of BRS and sending pairs of Nike shoes to prospective runners along with personal notes of encouragement.
In 1980 Nike launched the 'Nike Air' technology in 'Tailwind' running shoes.
Sales took off in 1984, when Michael Jordan signed a contract to wear a Nike shoe called Air Jordans—the most famous trainers ever made. Even after Jordan retired from the NBA, his shoes continued to be best sellers.
In 1987, Nike readied a major product and marketing campaign designed to regain the industry lead and differentiate Nike from its competitors. The focal point was the Air Max, the first Nike footwear to feature Nike Air bags that were visible.
In 1994, Nike signed several individual players from what would be the World Cup-winning Brazilian National Team.
In 1995, Nike signed the entire team, and began designing the team’s distinctive uniform. Nike also signed the US men’s and women’s national soccer teams, as well as dozens of national teams around the world.
In 1996, Nike Golf landed young golfer named Eldrick “Tiger” Woods for a reported $5 million per year. Tiger won the 1997 Masters by a record 12 strokes.
In 2000 Nike launched a new footwear cushioning system called Nike Shox. The development of Nike Shox culminated more than 15 years of perseverance and dedication, as Nike designers stuck with their idea until technology could catch up. The result was a cushioning and stability system worthy of joining Nike Air as the industry’s gold standard.

Reebok

In 1895, JW Foster and Sons started to manufacture shoes and sell them all over the United Kingdom. Even though they never garnered much attention, they were successful enough to be worn by the athletes in the 1924 Summer Olympics.
In 1958 Reebok was founded as a sister company to JW Foster & Sons. They picked the name Reebok, which means African Gazelle, because they wanted to depict speed, style, and grace. Even though the company was selling the shoes at a decent rate in the United Kingdom, they were still having a hard time getting the shoes noticed on a world wide scale.
In 1979 at the Chicago International Sneaker Trade Show, Paul Fireman took notice of the Reebok brand. He was drawn in by the customization of each shoe, as well as the high quality. Without wasting anytime, Fireman negotiated a deal to license and distributes the Reebok brand in the United States; it was at this time that Reebok USA was born.
That same year, Fireman introduced three running shoes to the market. He had so much confidence in the product that he priced the shoe at $60 which made it the highest priced offering on the market. By 1981, Reebok USA had exceeded $1.5 million in sales; and this was all done by selling simple track shoes.
In 1982, the company made a move that took the sneaker industry by surprise, and sent sales through the roof. Reebok introduced the first athletic shoe for women. This move helped Reebok grab the majority of the market share in the early 1980’s.
In 1989, Reebok introduced the Pump to the basketball world. These shoes were designed specifically with basketball in mind. The shoe used an air bladder which could be inflated by a small pump that was located on the tongue of the shoe. The pump was in the shape of a basketball, and when pushed it would inflate the bladder so that the shoe would conform tightly around the ankle. This shoe was designed to take on the “Nike Air”, and debuted with a sticker price of $170; nearly double the price of other basketball shoes. But despite the huge price difference Reebok had a hit. Over a four year period they sold over 20 million pairs worldwide.
But just as quickly as it took off, the Pumps began to fade out of the public eye. This left Reebok without a number one seller, and scrambling for another big break through.
As sales continued to decline throughout the 90’s, Reebok was looking for a way to regain a share of the market that was being dominated by Nike. After numerous efforts failed to produce results, Reebok decided to look for endorsements as a way to increase brand awareness.
In 1996, they pegged NBA newcomer Allen Iverson as a target. From 1996 to 2000, Iverson and Reebok had a lot of success promoting the brand both on and off the court. With Iverson quickly becoming an NBA superstar, his shoe which was known as “The Answer” was selling at a fast pace and helping to bring Reebok back to the forefront of the industry.
In 2001, Reebok made a huge commitment to Iverson by signing him to a life long contract which guarantees that he sports the brand until his days in the NBA are over.
Then in 2005, during NBA All-Star weekend Reebok introduced the new 'Above the Rim' Pump. This shoe is based off of the same technology as the original Pump, but this time the pump is located on the outer ankle of the shoe. It again allows for the athlete to get a perfect fit.
During the 2005 All-Star game, NBA superstars Allen Iverson and Yao Ming showcased the ATR Pump to the world. This gave the industry their first look at the new Pump in action. In addition to Iverson and Ming, superstars Steve Francis, Baron Davis, and Jerome Williams are also wearing the new Pumps.
Shortly after the new ATR Pump debuted, Reebok was shook up once again. They were bought out by Germany’s Adidas for $3.78 billion. Reebok and Adidas were constantly dueling it out for second place behind sneaker giant Nike. By joining forces, they may be able to overthrow Nike and become the number one sneaker manufacturer in the world.
In 2004, Nike had approximately 36% market share in the United States shoe industry; where as Adidas and Reebok combined for about 21%.