'Sneaker Head' Marywood MFA thesis

marywood univeristy mfa Marywood shoes Nike thesis

'Nike Before Nike' 15"x15"

'EVOL Nike' 15"x13"

People have been murdered for their shoes. This is the evolution of the Nike shoe brand from 1980 to 1996. A boy in New York was killed during a mugging of his ELITE kicks. Another boy beaten for his Oregon Waffles. Police escorts were made available for anyone who wanted to purchase the L-D 1000 pair due to gang members posting up outside a Brooklyn shoe store with guns, bats, chains etc. Lots and lots of raucous over footwear.

'Lace Design' 15"x11"

8 lace designs I found on the shoes of middle school students in Tampa Florida’s Hillsborough county Public Schools. Drawings were done from observation, scanned and digitally colored in Photoshop for educational purposes.

'DMC' 14”x 9”

An extremely influential rap Hip hop group known as Run DMC, brought the fashion of the sneaker to a new level, exposing their street-wear to a much broader audience that extended passed the Streets of New York City and onto the world. In any given club in the late 70’s, there were many MC’s and Rap artists who rocked the Adidas sneakers, hoodies and shirts, but as soon as they were awarded record deals, their look completely changed from real and honest street cats, to leather boots, gold chains, eccentric furs, and a variety of spikes. It was definitely a confusing time for any rap or hip hop artist. At that time, it wasn’t fully clear what the Hip hop look was going to look like. All that was understood, was that it would change music, fashion and the world. Run DMC believed that any Hip hop artist should be true to their personal origins and the origins of Hip hop. In 1983, Run DMC blasted out into the world of pop dressed in the same gear they wore on the streets. They were in the right place, the right time, and in the right sneaker. NO LACES, Just like prison inmates.

This is another visual addition to my graduate thesis on the Sneaker Head. This will be apart of a chapter that deals with the concept of sneaker hunting and the intense journeys people take in order to obtain the new pair of Nike Air Jordan sneakers.

The day of the Nike Pigeon release, police officers arrived preparing for an eventual riot (SneakerNews). Tickets were used to ensure the first twenty people could purchase this sneaker, but these tickets became valuable themselves. Those who did purchase a pair of sneakers were escorted out of the store through the back door by an NYPD officer. Fighting, pushing and resisting orders from the NYPD resulted before the shoes sold out and the crowd was told to disperse. Jeff Staples also went on to explain witnessing “thugs” on the street corners with baseball bats under their coats who were obviously waiting to steal a pair of Nike Pigeon dunks. Once the crowd was dispersed, baseball bats, knives and machetes were found on the sidewalks near the store. Later that night, the Nike Pigeon dunk was found on Ebay priced at $750. Now the shoes can be bought for up to $2,000 dollars.