Nice Kicks! Sneaker Culture in The Philippines
The Philippines is a country in which basketball is the number one sport played by its locals. Basketball just keeps on growing here, and with the continuous love and passion of the people toward the sport, it then grew a branch expanding onto sneakers creating popular culture.
One of the biggest influencing factors on how sneaker culture grew in the country is because of the influence of professional athletes and celebrities.
In addition, the opening of multiple sneaker shops and global sports brands like Nike, Adidas, New Balance, etc. are also proof that the sneaker game is popular here. All of this information tells one story. Filipinos love their sneakers and the culture that grows and comes along with them.
Where Did it All Start?
Sneaker culture boomed in the country throughout the 21st century. After Jordan retired in 1998, he paved the way for basketball frenzy Filipinos to start collecting his shoes. Michael Jordan is the first NBA player that Filipinos idolized at a massive rate. With this, many basketball fans and avid collectors started to get their own pairs of sneakers from their NBA idols. As time goes on, and as Filipinos keep on falling in love with the sport, the love for sneakers came with it.
Moreover, popular culture played a big part in the advancement of sneaker culture in the country as well. Through influence and popularity, sneakers became a lifestyle essential for many of us that we use for daily life.
Sneaker Culture is All Around Us
Moving forward, celebrities like Travis Scott, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, etc. have their own deals with shoe companies. The addition of celebrities getting sneaker collaboration with companies, only made sneaker culture grow and expand even further. The same goes for the growth of basketball, popular athletes like Lebron James, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc. getting sneaker deals of their own, only strengthening the popularity of sneakers as well as the sport itself.
Of course, sneakers vary in price. There are expensive and there are cheap ones. It all depends on the popularity, love, and brands that are seen with the shoe. Luxury brands to common retail brands also explored collaborations with sneaker companies to provide limited releases where the license of the brand and sneaker are seen.
In the Philippines, various content creators and artists provide reviews and looks of certain sneakers and their collections. Conventions and events also back this up, as people gather to collect, sell, show off their kicks among fellow sneakerheads.
The Love for Sneakers
As you can tell, the love of people for sneakers can be seen in many ways. You know if a sneaker line is popular when you start to see resellers and fans stand by stores and wait in line to get themselves the shoes they want to buy. Brands also create sneaker cleaning tools for people to buy. This creates a new chain in sneaker culture that tackles the maintenance aspect of the sneaker themselves to prolong their life and use. Filipinos love taking care of their shoes, it shows you that sneakers are more than just a hobby. It is a part of a lifestyle that brings sentimental value to the person owning a pair.
Filipinos love popular culture, and it can be seen through constant consummation of items that tend to draw attention. Luxury, hype, and appreciation are one of the many factors that helped people fall in love with sneakers. Nevertheless, the sneaker culture in the country shows only upsides with no signs of slowing down. Knowing that, when sneaker brands keep on building the culture through local and international accessibility, it continues to prolong the future of the popular sneaker culture.
WHAT IS THE SNEAKER YOU OWN THAT YOU LOVE THE MOST?
