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A sports trainer is footwear designed for outdoor pursuits, games or athletics. They have also become a fashion apparel, and are worn by many people for casual wear in their everyday life. The rubber sole - a feature of sports trainers - allows people to walk silently, which influenced Americans to name sports trainers 'Sneakers'. In the past thirty years trainers have gone through a revolution. They were once just a basic rubber sole and canvas, but are now computer designed with air pockets and gel filled soles. The air pocket / gel filled trainers were designed for increased performance in athletics, basketball, and various other sports. The most symbolic of these shoes was the "Air Jordan" trainer. Designed by Nike, it was the first shoe to introduce an air pocket integrated into the heel. Designed for basketball, a sport which involves alot of jumping, the air pocket was perfect for supporting and protecting the heel whilst landing. Athletics is another sport which generates alot of pressure on the heel. Not to the same degree as basketball; therefore, a gel formula is a common component of athletic trainers. Many athletic trainers also feature carbon, which helps to make the sole more durable. Athletics shoes are noted for their lightness. One of the first companies to introduce spikes was Reebok. A company based in Bolton, England, who were originally named J.W. Foster and Sons. They also introduced a manufacturing process for trainers which is still used today. It's called vulcanisation. This is a system for melding canvas materials to a rubber sole. Since the mid 1990's, it's fair to say that trainers have divided into two camps, those designed for sports, and those for casual wear. In the 1980's, for example, the design of trainers was more simplistic, and some would say more stylish. By the end of the 1980's, gel and air filled trainers began to dominate the marketplace. The one problem with this evolution in design, was the perceived lack of style and over the top technology. This obviously became an issue for manufacturer's, as the majority of their income came from sales to people wearing trainers as a fashion accessory. By the mid 1990's, the solution manufacturers came up with was a return to their retro designs from the late 1970's / early 1980's. Sales rebounded, and a decade later, retro trainers still comprise a large proportion of sales. Likewise, manufacturer's such as Lacoste and K-Swiss have kept their designs simple, and in line with the style of retro trainers. Retro trainers have also impacted the world of bespoke fashion houses.
While they may have once mocked trainers, or garments such as jeans, money
is a great motivater, and the likes of Ted Baker have begun to release
designer trainers. Which has proved that style, rather than technology,
was the key to generating sales.
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Sports
Trainers
