Do you already know all about sneakers?

We see them more and more often – sneakers. Sneakers are increasingly gaining a foothold not only in sports, but also in leisure in general. It is already possible to wear sneakers with a suit and tie. Designs are becoming ever more varied, functionality ever more sophisticated. You will find more about the development of the sneaker from gym shoe to fashion shoe here. Do you know where the name “sneakers” came from? No? Then look it up here!



The history of “Sneakers”

The first rubber soled shoes called plimsolls were developed and manufactured in the United States in the late 1800s. In 1892, nine small rubber manufacturing companies consolidated to form the U.S. Rubber Company. Among them was the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company, organized in the 1840s in Naugatuck, Connecticut. This company was the first licensee of a new manufacturing process called vulcanization, discovered and patented by Charles Goodyear. Vulcanization uses heat to meld rubber to cloth or other rubber components for a sturdier, more permanent bond. From 1892 to 1913, the rubber footwear divisions of U.S. Rubber were manufacturing their products under 30 different brand names. The company consolidated these brands under one name.When choosing a name, the initial favorite was Peds, from the Latin meaning foot, but someone else held that trademark. By 1916, the two final alternatives were Veds or Keds, with the stronger sounding Keds being the final choice.


Keds® were first mass-marketed as canvas-top “snekaers" in 1917. These were the first sneakers. In 1979, the Stride Rite Corporation acquired the Keds® brand.


Where do the name “sneakers” come from?

The word "sneaker" was coined by Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent for N. W. Ayer & Son, because the rubber sole made the shoe stealthy or quiet, all other shoes made noise when you walked.

Quelle: www.sneakers.pair.com