Buying runners is a complex business. Deirdre McQuillan enlists two trainer-literate twentysomethings to help select the slickest sneakers in the land
Whether you call it a sneaker, trainer or runner, the sports shoe is no longer the preserve of athletes but has risen to global domination. Brands that once set the hearts - not to mention soles - of hardcore sneaker freaks pounding are now mainstream. Shoe shops have dizzying arrays of new designs, boasting greater performance and zanier or more minimalist styling, along with retro favourites.
If you're not trainer-literate, a new book, Sneakers: The Complete Collectors' Guide, will steer you through some of the world's leading brands. And if you don't know your chuck toggles from your backside lipslides, your Onitsukas from your Kart Cats, it's a real bluffer's guide.
This encyclopaedic book, with clear, bright illustrations, gives the histories of 11 leading brands, from Adidas to Vans, and more than l80 designs that have made a mark on the world. Many of the classics, from the Converse All Star, which dates back to the l920s, to the best-selling Adidas Superstar, were designed for baseball players, not for the trendy teenagers who wear them today.
Early sneakers, the authors point out, were simply a way for manufacturers to use excess rubber from other production lines. Now everybody wears runners, but students and skateboarders set some of the coolest tempos, and current favourites are revivals of classic designs.
Technology has given us Nike Shox, which work on the principle of the simple spring, while Adidas has its Torsion system and Reebok its DMX and gimmicky Pump innovations. Fashion and performance often join hands: Stella McCartney and Yohji Yamamoto design for Adidas, the English designer Luella Bartley for Vans and Lucy Downes for DKNY (her designs, called after Dublin streets such as Dawson and Pembroke, are on sale in BT2). Mark Newsom's Modulo, for Nike, which is not yet on sale, was inspired by the socks worn by astronauts at the Russian Space Institute.
Sponsorship of sporting legends continues to boost Adidas's status. Styles such as the ClimaCool ranges are worn by David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Brian O'Driscoll. Adidas's revived Superstar range, to mark the 35th anniversary of the shoe, was produced this year in limited editions of 500. These are already collector's items; some sell for more than €800 on eBay. Fila began in Italy in 1911 and became associated with tennis, while New Balance, considered one of the most elite sportswear manufacturers, still makes its classic 576 model.
The book also provides a useful directory of collectors' shops, resources and websites for serious sneakerheads, as well as advice on building up a collection, and how to spot originals from reissues.
Some styles have become so desirable that even their shoeboxes are worth keeping, and some collectors go so far as to keep their collections in the fridge - chilled out in every sense.
TRIBE Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, Dublin
The ultimate in street cool, this shop (now with a new outlet for girls on the third floor), owned by Karl Swan, offers alternatives to mainstream trainers that bridge the gap between performance and trends. Swan, a surfer, spends a lot of time in the US, particularly California, checking out the shops (and the surf), and he tries to reflect that lifestyle in his shop. Regulars are J1 and J2 visa holders who have returned to Ireland. The laid-back look derives from soul or spirit sports, where the idea is to challenge oneself, not others. This is the place for up to-the-minute skateboarding runners such as Vans, Etnies and Gravis (sponsors of the Irish surf team). Tribe's girl shop has zany Converse styles and Roxy shoes from Quiksilver. This was Fintan and Jessie's favourite shop.
LIFESTYLE and CHAMPION SPORTS Outlets countrywide
These are the places to find high-performance runners by Nike, Adidas and Asics, as well as old-skool Adidas and Adidas Superstar Stan Smiths. Jessie found the women's runners "very white, very flashy and a bit young. I loved them when I was 14". Both noticed the G Unit and S Carter runners designed by rappers for Reebok. The Reebok pump opening system without laces is €130 here.
FOOTLOCKER Grafton Street, Dublin
This is one of the world's major trainer-selling chains, and its Grafton Street branches are where some of the latest exclusive lines are showcased before they're stocked elsewhere. Nike, Adidas, Puma and K-Swiss can all be found here; the new Nike TN, Adidas Moderator, Puma Future Cats (in suede/leather) and Adidas Adi Rider, with Goodyear rubber soles, are some of the season's key items.
ASPECTO South Anne Street, Dublin 2
The zaniest runners in town can be found in this shop, which stocks Dublin's biggest range of the ultra-hip Y3s, by Yohji Yamamoto for Adidas (€260). The music series of the Adidas Superstar 35th anniversary range, of which only 5,000 pairs were made, sold out as soon as it came into stock here. The relaunched Puma Trinomic, a style without laces that was once worn by Linford Christie, can be found here for €110. Jessie liked the Evisu runners, and Fintan thought the Onitsuka Tigers were quite funky.
OFFICE Henry Street, Grafton Street, Dundrum and Liffey Valley, Dublin
Jessie and Fintan are mad about Office shoes. Jessie went straight for the All Pink by Adidas and was also taken by the pink and green Converse trainers. Checkerboard Vans slip-ons caught the eye, too, as did Babycham for women and miniature trendy numbers for children. Jessie likes trainers in colours that go with her clothes; she passed on the cherry prints, preferring a pair of classy white runners "that are not sporty - more fashion runners - because the others are too shiny". Office, like Aspecto and Schuh, gives students 10 per cent off.
SCHUH Branches in Dublin and Galway
Schuh has a comprehensive range of casual runners for men and women. Brands include Converse, Puma, Gola, Nike, Oniksuka and a full range of skate shoes such as Duffs and DC Shoe USA. The most expensive runner here is the K-Swiss Limited Edition, which claims to use the same paint as Ferrari F1 cars. The wilder Converse trainers here come in tartan, corduroy and snakeskin and safety-pin prints.
G1 SKATESHOP O'Connell Street, Dublin
A favourite haunt of skateboarders, G1 has a large stock of US skate labels, such as DVS and Lakai, from Los Angeles. Owner Graham McPherson has access to more than 2,000 styles of these runners; he supplies many surf shops.
URBAN FOOTWEAR Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, Dublin
This is a shoebox-sized shop with small selections of Diesel, Converse and Energie, an Italian label. The hottest spring style is the Puma Kart Cat (€100). "Diesel colours are cool," says Fintan. "Camouflage colours go with anything and are not too bright," adds Jessie. The shop, like many others, stocks Converse All Stars, new versions of the original basketball sport shoe.
BUYING ONLINE
Can't find the style or size you're after? Then buy from websites such as eBay or sneaker forums such as www.crookedtongues.com. A brilliant site is www.nikeid.com, where you can customise the colour schemes of your runners; if you're feeling patriotic you can have green, white and orange Nike Shoxs, for instance. Adidas has customised some of its ranges for www.oki-ni.com, which also offers rare Adidas styles such as the Grand Slam and Adistar Runner. It has a shop oSavile Row in London.
TRIAL RUN
As the owner of three pairs of trainers of varying age - Adidas Oregon, Nike Pegasus and Adidas Supernova - I recently took a pair of Nike Frees out for a trial run. These are designed to complement the natural flexibility of the foot, strengthen muscles and improve fitness, but it was the claim that they are the nearest thing to running barefoot that interested me. The first sensation when you put them on is one of supple softness around the foot, as opposed to compressed comfort. Mine, in a delicate grey, had soft suede uppers and thin white laces. The seamless upper is curved like the Shox, and you feel the cushioned support and shock absorption of the heel pockets when you run. The runners are light and flexible and, dare one say it, prettier than most. The splayed heel, incidentally, makes them easy to lever off. Nike Frees come in other colours, including pink and light blue, and cost €95. Men's versions include black and white. Check them out at www.nikerunning.com.