Designer Jeff Staple recently sat down with the folks at Sneaker Watch to talk — what else? — sneakers, and the brief clip is filled with insightful nostalgia from the Staple Design founder.
"Back in the beginning, footwear companies were making shoes for athletes and sports," Staple said. He remembers that the youth crowd would embrace athletic sneakers and re-purpose them for stunting in the streets — long before the days of Instagram.
"They were taking it off the court and making it for themselves; how they rock it at the mall, or at school, or in the streets. Today, sneaker companies are essentially asking the kid, 'What do you want to wear in the street? We'll make that for you.'"
We've noticed this shift ourselves, but it's pretty interesting to hear the sentiment coming from someone that's so deeply involved with the design and production aspect of footwear.
