Sneakers can be about style, history and even community. A new study reveals that for “Sneakerheads,” sneakers are an important facet of their identities, particularly for African-American men who grew up in the 1970s and ’80s coveting sneakers popularized by hip-hop stars and basketball legends.
In the journal Fashion and Textiles, researchers report new insights into the motivations, brand preferences and identity considerations of Sneakerheads.
The findings were drawn from interviews with 12 men in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, many whom are African-American, and all whom self-identified as Sneakerheads. The findings help inform marketing efforts, and help fill a void in academic literature on the topic. [Read more…] about Sneakerheads, not hypebeasts: Defining a sneaker-driven sub-culture