The Evolution of Sole - words by Aba

The shoe has come a long way. Developed by a group of nine small rubber companies, notably among them Goodyear, the rubber soled shoe called the plimsoll was born. While this may seem insignificant to most of us, those 9 companies discovered a process called vulcanization, which uses heat to meld rubber and cloth together to give us what we know today as our kicks, jumps, sneakers, runners, and what not. Thank god for them experimenting endless hours to get the two to stick to each other, otherwise we’d still be Fred Flintstoning it.

From Bedrock to modern day 2005, the shoe has made some interesting evolutions. Probably the biggest and most notable evolution of the shoe has been the Nike Air cushioning system, developed by Nike. Created almost 20 years ago, it is comprised of a tough flexible urethane capsule with pressurized gas inside, which to this day remains a standard for impact protection. There are other cushioning systems that were developed as well such as Gel by Asics, Shox by Nike, absorb/encap by New Balance, and a3/adiprene by Adidas to mention a few. Don’t forget other innovative ideas introduced to the shoe like the reebok and nike pumps, and Velcro straps.

My first recollection of my first pair of shoes stems back to about my fifth or sixth year of existence. I remember telling my mom and dad back in the day that I needed a new pair of pro-keds, because the ones I had were more than three years old and were falling apart. While 3 years might seem like a long time, I truly thought I had been wearing those shoes for that long. I guess when you’re a kid, and you wear your favorite pair of shoes everyday, a year can seem like three years. After all, the rubber sole was separating from the foam insole, and it would make this flapping noise every time I walked. Can you blame me?

I remember how much I loved them because they were blue and yellow, and had a white insole with rubber gum sole. The coolest thing about them was that they were suede, and you could rub your hand across the suede and make the color look different. They sole also had a cool looking pattern when you stepped in sand. It’s funny how we are swayed to buy certain shoes because of a look, color, or a name.

Today, the shoes that we knew and love as a child or teenager have somehow found their way back into our lives. You name it and it has probably been brought back, Air Force 1’s, Nike Air Max’s, Dunks, Kangaroos, Airwalks, Vans, and the like. Those of us that had these shoes when they first came out can identify the second coming of these shoes, and it is these shoes that have started a new fashion trend. Whether you’re in it because of the style, or because you love the shoe, or because you love to collect shoes, the sneaker head era has made its splash, and will probably be around for a while. It’s an addiction for some people much like comic books, baseball cards, toys, girlfriends, and cars are for other people. Back then you would try and get shoes that no one else had, but now it’s all about getting a shoe by this designer/shop, made out of this material, limited production shoe, overseas release, or a shoe in a particular color way. There are now shops such as Union, Undefeated, and Kicks Hawaii to name a few that work with Nike to bring limited production shoes that people kill for.

The company and shoe that seem to be leading the way in this sneaker head era if you haven’t picked up on it by now is Nike and its Dunk SB line. Distributed only to local skate shops, or shops that have an SB account, the SB line is probably one of the most sought after shoes simply because of the rarity of each shoe, and the limited places it can be purchased. Every month or so, Nike will release one or two must have SBs. What makes it so hard to snag that rare shoe when it comes out is Nike doesn’t tell the shops what they’re sending or when they’re sending. But of course, most sneaker heads know when a shoe is supposed to drop, and are usually camping these places to make sure they get their hands on the latest release. If you’re lucky enough to find a place that will let you know what’s being released, consider yourself lucky! If you’re not so lucky, well there are always websites where you can look at what is being released and even some where you can buy them. The price may not be to your liking, but hey, at least you’ll have the kicks you’ve been wanting.

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