The Rise of the White Sneaker and Its Competition

小白鞋极简史

图片来源：上海大学-巴黎国际时装艺术学院

经典的白色运动鞋的普及将近10年了， 它怎么流行起来的呢？无论是阿迪达斯的Stan Smith或者是Converse， 白色运动鞋联系起了第一夫人和东海岸的说唱歌手， 就让我们一起来看看白色运动鞋是如何成为一种现象的吧！

The classic white sneaker has been a staple in men and women’s shoe racks for almost a decade but how did this happen? From Stan Smiths to Converse, the white sneaker the only piece of clothing that can connect the first lady to East Coast rappers and it’s time we explored the phenomenon of the whitest of white sports shoes.

即使你对像GUCCI的懒人鞋（无鞋后跟，装饰有皮毛）这样的网红爆款没有太多感觉， 你也应该会有一双白色运动鞋吧。不管你喜欢锐步还是耐克， 对时尚敏感还是迟钝， 每个人都可以穿，而且一定会穿过白色运动鞋， 这是它的神奇力量。 白色运动鞋的神奇之处在于没有什么是它不可以搭的， 运动休闲服，街头风，秀场，运动服，搭起来都毫无违和感，即使油腻大叔穿起来也神采奕奕。一双小白鞋可以将各种不同身份的人联系起来：运动员，接孩子放学的妈妈，X世代（上世纪六、七十年代出生的美国人），第一夫人，还有饶舌歌手。小白鞋超越的不只是季节，更超越了时尚， 它改变了我们对休闲时尚，对鞋子的潮流，甚至对我们生活方式的看法。为了了解这一切都是怎么发生的， 我们要从20年前说起…

The It shoe of the year practically breaks the internet (remember the Gucci fur lined backless loafers?!) but even if you’re not all that into shoes, you almost definitely already own a pair of It shoes and they go by the name of the white sneaker. Whether you’re more loyal to Reebok or Nike,

fashion conscious or not, everybody can and does wear a white sneaker and this is all part of the power it carries. You see, the white sneaker has a tongue in every part of the fashion pie, it works for althleisure wear, street style, catwalk and runway, for sports and gymwear and even for geeky, dinosaur dads! The white sneaker unites everyone, from athletics to moms on the school run, to the Gen X girl, first ladies and of course rappers. The white sneaker doesn’t transcend seasons, it actually transcends fashion and has changed the way we see casual fashion, shoe trends and even how we live our lives. In order to explore this, we first have to go back to the 00’s….

图片来源：上海大学-巴黎国际时装艺术学院

噢， 本世纪之初，那还是一个泡泡裙，有色眼镜的时代，还有我们难忘的Juicy Couture（橘滋， 美国加州时尚品牌）的运动服， 另一个在本世界初最流行的就是高跟鞋， 当时的标准是越高越好， 越贵越时髦。 部分因为Carrie Bradshaw（美剧《欲望都市》女主）和这部剧的铁粉，运动鞋没有走出过健身房， 那时去健身房才穿运动鞋是天经地义的， 出健身房换掉也是理所当然。 Carrie Bradshaw从来没有穿过一次时尚运动鞋， 更不用说专业运动鞋， 咱们粉丝也都跟着穿正装了。她对Manolo Blahnik（西班牙鞋履品牌）的执迷也让我们粉丝心动不已， 成千上万的妹子剁手也要买一双天价细高跟。2019的今天， 你很难找到有年轻人愿意花那么多的钱去买一双不舒服，无法走路的鞋，相反的是她们更在意鞋子是否耐穿， 舒适，以及是否能适应不同的场合的穿着。

Oh, the noughties! An era of bubble skirts, tinted glasses and who could forget the Juicy Couture tracksuits! Another thing that the noughties gave us were heels. The higher the better, the more expensive the price tag the more on trend they were. Thanks in part to Carrie Bradshaw and the cult following of Sex and the City, sneakers simply weren’t the done thing outside of the gym and you certainly wouldn’t be caught dead walking to the gym in your gym gear; changing at the gym was imperative! Carrie Bradshaw’s feet never once touched a fashion sneaker never mind a regular sports sneaker and we all followed suit. Even her obsession with Manolo Blahnik found its way into our hearts, with millions of women selling their right arm in order to pay for extortionately expensive sky scraping stilettos. Now in 2019, you’d be hard pushed to find someone who wasn’t of a certain age, who’s willing to spend that amount of money on uncomfortable shoes they can’t walk in. That doesn’t mean people aren’t prepared to part with their cash in the same way, on the contrary, there’s simply more importance placed on durability of shoes, comfort and the potential to wear them in every social situation.

运动鞋文化从19实际被发明以来一直是政治正确的， 运动鞋一直和特定的社会阶层， 身份和种族联系在一起，白帆布运动鞋同时有了政治涵义，有些品牌故意做成了这样。运动鞋的英文名“sneaker”来自于网球运动， 一开始是网球运动员会穿这种噪音相对较小的鞋子， “sneaker”意思就是“sneak around”（悄声儿地跑来跑去）。可惜的是，这个名字让运动鞋有了社会下层， 流氓， 抢劫犯和毒贩才会穿的成见，这层内涵一直到最近才有了变化， 运动鞋打破了这些固有的观念， 成了每个人都可以穿的国民装备， 无论他的背景如何， 财富多少，来自何处。

Sneaker culture has always been political right from its invention in the 19th century. Sneakers have always denoted class, identity and even race as well as being a blank canvas for political commentary whether the brands behind them intended them to be or not. The name sneaker comes from the original design primarily worn for playing tennis, a relatively noiseless pair of shoes, hence the name sneakers for sneaking around. This idea of sneaking unfortunately gave sneakers the connotation they were worn by the drags of society, delinquents, robbers and even drug dealers. An unshakeable reputation until very recently, finally, the white sneaker has over come all of these pigeon holes, a true shoe for everyone, regardless of their background, wealth or geographical location.

图片来源：上海大学-巴黎国际时装艺术学院

2011年， Phoebe Philo（英国著名服装设计师）在Celine 第四个系列发布的致谢环节穿上了小白鞋，几秒钟的露面，她自己也没意识到已经开启了白色运动鞋和半休闲，精良剪裁的服装搭配的时尚潮流。 她当时穿的绿色高领毛衣和直筒长裤，以及搭配的阿迪达斯Stan Smith白色运动鞋的影响力已经超过了Celine的系列本身，因为Phoebe Philo穿的这一套已经完全表达了所有。她向全世界证明了过去被视为运动服装的小白鞋一样可以进入高级时装，不仅实用，而且一样时髦，性感和不掉价。不必惊讶为什么全世界马上就接受了这一潮流， 毕竟，谁不想穿舒服一点的鞋子呢？

In 2011, Phoebe Philo took to the runway after her fourth collection at Celine to take her bow. On the runway for mere seconds, she unknowingly set the trend for the white sneaker to be worn with semi casual wear and tailoring. Her outfit of a green turtleneck and straight tailored pants paired with her Adidas Stan Smiths were talked about more than the actual Celine collection – which says everything really! She showed the world how a sports shoe that isn’t overtly categorized as active wear could be brought into high fashion and worn for practically every occasion while still looking smart, sexy and more importantly expensive high fashion. It shouldn’t come as a surprise as to why the world jumped on this trend, after all, who wouldn’t prefer to wear comfortable shoes that everyone can walk well in?

说到小白鞋的竞争者，除了品牌间的竞争，几乎没有可以与之匹敌的。Vans的滑板鞋可以算一个， Vans的条纹和方格图案让它成为一个亮眼的个性时尚单品。和白色运动鞋不一样的是，滑板鞋不适合运动，或者说无法对足部起到很好的保护作用，这样小白鞋扳回了一城。其他的同类竞争者， 当然有很多花哨的运动鞋， 一个简单的事实是白色运动鞋和精良剪裁的高级时装的搭配完败其他的运动鞋。

When it comes to competition, the white sneaker regardless of brand has very little competition. Vans slip on shoes are definitely up there, their striped or checkerboard monochrome patterns making them stand out more as a statement. But unlike the white sneaker, they can’t (or rather shouldn’t for the health of your feet) be worn to exercise in, giving the white sneaker back its edge. Other, more colorful sneakers also hold their place in the fashion sneaker market however the simple fact is that they don’t look as good as white when worn with tailored and high fashion pieces.

图片来源：上海大学-巴黎国际时装艺术学院

我们不晓得对小白鞋的喜爱会持续多久，但是为了不把脚挤进尖尖的高跟鞋， 我希望是一万年。如果你要买鞋， 那买一双不会过时的小白鞋是最保险的。 这里我们也附赠一个建议， 一定要一起买一支牙刷，这样小白鞋才能一直白又白。

We don’t know how long the white sneaker obsession will continue but for the sake of not squeezing our toes into pointy heels, we hope it lasts at least a life time! It’s safe to say that if you’re in the market for purchasing a new pair, they aren’t going to fall out of fashion any time soon but a word of advice –buy yourself an extra toothbrush at the same time so you can keep your pair looking pristine white for as long as possible!

上海大学巴黎国际时装艺术学院（Shanghai University - MOD'ART International），成立于2003年，被外界誉为”上海时装界的黄埔军校“，是国内第一个在上海创办的中法合作时装设计学院，国内率先引进奢侈品营销与管理专业。受到中国服装协会、中国服装设计师协会、中国国际贸易促进会纺织行业分会等专业社会团体的支持。