Sneakers: The Complete Limited Editions Guide is truly the bible for anyone who appreciates good footwear.
Trainers. For some people they are to be worn strictly during exercise, hastily laced up and then just as quickly discarded to the back of the cupboard as soon as spinning class is done. To others they are the universal shoe, a piece of fashion for the foot that can go from the street, to a club, to a bar, via the office.
I very much fall into the latter of these groups. I have worn trainers to weddings, job interviews and on innumerable nights out, and would like to be seen as a walking testament that a woman does not need to own a single pair of high heels to be counted as feminine. I mean, models at the Chanel catwalk show were wearing them for fuck’s sake, how much more justification do you need. Anyway, moving swiftly on…
Some other people who seem to share my fairly strident views about trainers are the creators of the amazing Sneakers: The Complete Limited Editions Guide, a follow up to the 2005 Sneakers: The Complete Collectors’ Guide. This earlier volume was one of the key influences in transforming trainer collecting from an underground subculture to the multi-billion pound business it is today – not bad for 10 years work.
Just as feminism comes in waves, so do shoes, and brands have been taking advantage of this second-coming: creating partnerships with celebrities, designers and other desirable brands to create limited edition, very special sneakers.
We’ve got a sneak peek of some of the 300 designs that have been recorded. Just try not to lick the computer screen…
All images: Sneakers: The Complete Limited Editions Guide
