Shoes that have changed the world

Sneakers as a symbol of freedom. Discuss Ekaterina Kulinicheva and Lyudmila Alyabyeva

• Of our daily shoes, the most universal shoes are sneakers: for sports and for walks, for work and for relaxation.
• Sneakers became the main shoes of the 20th century, they equalized men and women, children and the elderly: everyone wear them.
• They collect these shoes, buy for a lot of money: sneakers have long ceased to be just sports shoes - this is a new fashion and hobby.
• Sneakers are an important symbol of freedom: emancipation of the lower classes, women, and free clothing style.

Sergey Medvedev: Today we will talk about shoe archeology, about sneakers. Sneakers are a great global equalizer, probably the main shoes of the twentieth century, which men and women, old and young, can be worn on sports, on a treadmill, and on a marathon, and to work.

Correspondent: Sneakers have long ceased to be just sports shoes. This is a new fashion and hobby. People collect sneakers, seek to get a rare pair and can spend a fortune on it. At the same time, purchased shoes can be such a rare and even historical object that it is no longer possible to wear it. They wrote that people wear sneakers not for sports in the 70s: they are combined with office clothes and a drapo coat, tight-fitting dress and airy skirt. Sneakers became a culture, and the culture itself influenced this - films, books, music. Probably, sports shoes are one of the few examples of combining comfort and the desire for innovation, hobbies and a new cultural phenomenon.

Sergey Medvedev: We guest Ekaterina Kulinicheva , journalist, author of the book “Sneakers. Cultural Biography of Sports Shoes,” and Lyudmila Alyabyeva , chief editor of the magazine “Fashion Theory: Clothing, Culture” , editor of the book series of the magazine, where this book was published.

My very first adidas sneakers that came under the Olympics-80 mercilessly painted socks. I wore them in a briefcase: it was impossible to show my parents that I would go to them in slush. And at school they were also a slightly dubious object. And this segment between the house and the school I took place in sneakers. Sometimes it seems to me that not even jeans, but Adidas sneakers collapsed socialism and the Soviet Union.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: In the book, the whole chapter is devoted to the production and consumption of sports shoes in the Soviet Union. Indeed, the most vivid memories are always about Adidas: someone had a dog’s tongue, but a person still wore them with blue socks, someone remade from the studs ...

Sergey Medvedev: Yes, spikes were cut off from football boots. There were also ski Adidas: they drunk brackets for fasteners and went in ski boots.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: And it turns out that the shoes in the workshops have fed in the provision of this service.

Sergey Medvedev: They said: "Who wears the Adidas T -shirt, he will sell their homeland tomorrow."

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: This saying has several options. There is an option: if you wear Adidas, you will have a fantastic success for women.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: In any case, Adidas guarantees success.

It is sneakers that is a common denominator of the twentieth century. Here is actually the whole history of the century

Sergey Medvedev: It seems to me that it is sneakers that are really a common denominator of the twentieth century. Here, in fact, the whole history of the century is modernization, and technological revolutions, and urbanization, and Americanization. Sneakers - almost like Hollywood, they actually introduced modern culture.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: Yes, today there is a feeling that everything in the twentieth century comes down to sneakers. They very convexly show all the important changes that occur in the twentieth century and continue in the XXI.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: Indeed, they turned out to be such a symbol. For example, if you need to title the book and show that it is about the present ... There is a famous book called "Terpsichore in sneakers" dedicated to the history of modern dance. This is an understandable symbol.

Sergey Medvedev: But the very first, in my opinion, not Americans, but the British at the end of the 19th century began to wear tennis shoes in everyday life?

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: At least this is the earliest case that I know. He was found by the British historian of Victorian history and sports shoes Thomas Turner. In the 1890s, it was very hot in London, and men began to wear tennis shoes instead of ordinary shoes. It was, of course, a colossal and a breakthrough, and a scandal at the same time. I quote an excerpt from the press of that time: "A few years ago, it was tantamount to appearing at the theater in hunting leggings and a jacket." And we remember from the stories about Sherlock Holmes, for example, that they, in order to pretend to be people who go to the theater, put on tailcoats. This would, of course, have an outrageous violation of the rules.

Sergey Medvedev: The end of the XIX century is such a breakthrough of sports. Bicycles appear on the streets.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: Sneakers - this is seemingly democratization of street fashion, which Kuturyu has not proposed and lowered the aristocratic society from above. This is such a lower outline. If we look a little ago, in the 19th century, then not everyone in the wardrobe had sports equipment and sports shoes. All the more interesting how people in the role of sports shoes invented and selected something else.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: By the way, she, of course, also had a status dimension. This is like a lower initiative, subculture, street fashion and so on. And on the other hand, tennis shoes, probably, were one of the first to acquire a status measurement, because it was an expensive sport: it was very expensive to arrange a platform for tennis, it could afford either very wealthy people or some societies. Municipal sites appear quite quickly, but it was such a gift to the city.

Of course, they begin to make sports shoes very quickly in different price categories. But, in principle, if you have tennis shoes, then you can afford to play tennis. This is a status thing, a bourgeois type of leisure. It was the same with the golf. It lasts the whole twentieth century. Hip-hop very much influenced this. The American press is very clear how they even distinguish sneakers and sneakers at the linguistic level. Running sneakers begin to wear in the 70-80s as an expensive accessory, because at a price they were ten times different from the sneakers.

Sergey Medvedev: The sneakers were, perhaps, the first step of sports shoes in the mass segment.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: I think these were not quite sneakers, rather gymnastic slippers. There was also such a beautiful type of shoes for outdoor activities - beach shoes, completely forgotten by us, it can only be seen in the photographs. It was impossible to go barefoot for quite some time to a civilized and cultural person, and it is clear that they were all shod-someone in tennis, someone in two-tone shoes, someone in gymnastic slippers. I think it's right to start with them. But sneakers are associated with the cost of production. They learned to do very cheaply between the two world wars, so they have become a very democratic type of shoes, including children, because children quickly grow and put off shoes.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: This ligament - court, sports ground and the beach - is very characteristic and interesting: how, in fact, the same shoes and clothes of a similar cut spreads there and there. We are always talking about the fact that sports and fashion are coming closer. Of course, very important changes occur at the end of the 19th century. But by and large, in the 20s of the twentieth century, you do not see a big difference between everyday women's costume and a tennis game costume. Looking at everyday clothes from Chanel and other designers of that time and how tennis players dressed, which these same designers often dressed, you do not see a big difference between these costumes. It was a time when sports meant - convenient, modern. And it influenced all areas of life, including a wardrobe.

Sergey Medvedev: If we talk about the coming of sneakers to a wide society - is this primarily America?

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: In one of the fashionable media, I came across a note about George and Amal Clooney, where it was written: "George and Amal Clooney dressed like tourists." This meant that they shifted in sneakers. This, of course, is indicative. Yes, there is such a popular association with the American style, and it is largely fair. On the other hand, America also offers conservative samples, they always have two trends.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: An interesting combination of a very strict style and sneakers.

Sergey Medvedev: This is one of the things that shocked me. I studied in New York in the late 80s-early 90s. And a huge number of office people on the streets went in sneakers: in strict business suits and in white "riboki".

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: Most likely, they drove in the office.

Sergey Medvedev: It seems to me that New York has very much influenced a cross-country culture.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: Of course, New York is associated with sports. This is due to the great propaganda activities of the local community, tied to basketball, hip-hop and sneakers.

Sergey Medvedev: New York marathon ...

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: On the other hand, I quote a lot of New York Times a lot in the book, and there were a lot of letters from readers who do not understand the sneakers in the heading of readers. I know many women who say: "In the 80-90s I saw a woman in a fur coat and in sneakers in New York. I still can’t forget! Never in my life!"

Sergey Medvedev: But the point is still in status clothes. You are told that sneakers are an antimoda and antistatus. High fashion should often be uncomfortable. Inconvenience as a discipline - narrow boots, corsets, means for straightening posture ... The higher the status of a person, the more victims he is in order to demonstrate this status.

The story of the costume is written mainly on the wardrobes of wealthy people

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: In fact, this is a complex of demonstrative consumption, which includes such emphasizing uncomfortable clothing items. This is often remembered when it comes to the fashion of the 19th century. Of course, the same corsets, heels, narrow shoes - all this, one way or another, was part of a man’s wardrobe with means.

Sergey Medvedev: A man made sacrifices for the sake of appearance.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: This was supposed to emphasize that he was not very mobile. In this sense, it is interesting how the attitude to mobility changes closer to the end of the XIX and throughout the twentieth century. It is interesting how, along with this change in the attitude to mobility in the wardrobes of people, more and more comfortable clothes and shoes are present that contributes to rapid movement in space.

Comfort can be of different types: emotional and physical. Often we are ready to endure any torment, we will physically suffer, but emotionally feel in accordance with some ideas about a fashionable figure or a fashionable silhouette.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: In the twentieth and XXI century, a suit is, on the one hand, a communication system: with its help we talk to others. And on the other hand, with his help we talk to ourselves too. And now to dress myself as I feel is actually one of the complex problems of a modern person. When the concepts of appropriate costume were blurred, the person was alone before a giant choice. For many, this is a plus: you can choose to your own taste - but for most people it is inconvenience.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: In general, we must understand that the history of the costume is written mainly on the wardrobes of wealthy people. Clothing for a long time was the subject of status consumption, it had enough funds for a very limited circle of people. In this sense, we must always stop ourselves. And even more so, we must stop ourselves when it comes to classics, about beauty, about elegance, because all these things are constructs. Each era, every culture, every historical and cultural context form, determine and overround for themselves that there is this very elegance, this very classic. It is possible that at some point the image in the sneakers will be considered a model.

Sergey Medvedev: Now is it a challenge if a person comes to Oscars in sneakers?

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: On the Oscars - probably yes.

Sergey Medvedev: Although they come.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: They come, come. True, basically all the most high -profile cases are dated quite long time. Although, in my opinion, actress Kristen Stewart publicly changed her heels at something on a flat move, and the fact that this is still an informational occasion, of course, says a lot.

But here it must be understood that the ceremonies like Oscar, the presentation of the Nobel Prize, the Cannes festival are like a court costume in former times. He is a priori archaic. So it happened in culture. For centuries, probably from the XVIII, maybe a little earlier, court clothing has been quite decent about fashion. I think many people imagine what a Russian court dress (the famous sundress with the neckline), invented by Nikolai I looked like the end of the empire, looked. Of course, when the history of the costume is mentioned in such a context, it is such a popular, very simplified and distorted story of the costume.

Sergey Medvedev: Looking fashionable - this does not mean looking aristocratic.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: Yes. I would even say, on the contrary.

Sergey Medvedev: And sneakers are a sign of fashion rather than aristocracy.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: Everyone asks the question: what will happen next? Will we have a new conservative turn? ..

Sergey Medvedev: In general, the fashion follows politics?

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: It depends on what fashion we are talking about. This is a very ambiguous term. Fashion in the broad sense is very different. In Russian, I try to say “fashion” and “costume” so that it is clear that we are talking not only about the system of changeable styles that trend us. And the costume is a wider area: of course, it follows politics.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: Let's not forget that time has changed very much. Of course, we all feel a conservative turn in politics. But to drive a suit and fashion back into a more formal part of the wardrobe is much more difficult, because we have a lot of information distribution channels.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: Yes, there are many different authorities.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: Today we do not go for the fashion magazine to find out what we came up with interesting. We open the Internet or go on Instagram, and a huge number of different images will spray on us.

Looking fashionable does not mean looking aristocratic

Sergey Medvedev: Are there any other items of clothes or shoes that are the same cult object as sneakers?

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: Of course - Denim, for example (I do not say "jeans" because it is the fabric itself). This is a whole culture around the world. And this is largely intersecting with sneakers. Japan very much influenced the acquisition of cult status of both those and others, and now the most prestigious and expensive Denim is Japanese. It so happened that for obvious political and cultural reasons after the Second World War, they fell in love with American culture. There are several books about how American subjects in Japan gave this cult status, and they have already hit the USA and the rest of the world in this status. This also applies to sneakers.

Sergey Medvedev: And when the word "sneakers" appeared in Russian?

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: Such a wonderful series "New words and expressions that appeared in the Russian language" was produced. In my opinion, this appeared in the dictionary, which was done by the results of the 70s. There is the word "sneakers", the word "Olympic" as a sports jacket, the word "Adidas". I was struck that it was recorded as a separate word. It was written there: "Adidasovsky" - a thing produced by a large West German company. "

Sergey Medvedev: Adidas, like Nike, is very much connected with the culture of hip-hop.

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: Yes, but hip-hop shocked differently. This is a process called the "creation of stereotypical samples of style." If we look at the photographs of the early hip-hop, then they are in a very different shod: they have working boots, there are the most-most different types of sports shoes, including sneakers. But Adidas, probably, is now more closely and more obviously associated with the culture of football pain, because the most active part of the English football fans, football hooligans are very respected by Adidas shoes. And they have already spread this fashion to wider segments of the population.

Lyudmila Alyabyeva: It is interesting how such subcultural wardrobes are formed as the idea of a style associated with a particular group is shouted. And the fact that from this set of visual (boots and other different ones) one thing is selected, characteristic not only for sneakers.

Sergey Medvedev: In Russia, in Eastern and Western Europe, Adidas is often associated with gopnic culture. Is this, nostalgia for these coveted Adidas in the Soviet Union, which has been coming from the 80s?

Ekaterina Kulinicheva: No. These are late -Soviet and early Russian memories. In the "Fashion Theory" there was a wonderful article on how Lyuber dressed, who respected sneakers. There was a fantastic caricature in the magazine Crocodile. One of my favorite finds that I made in the process of writing a book is a manual created by Soviet-Russian forensics. Она вышла в начале 1992 года, но, по-видимому, делалась еще на советском материале. Она посвящена тому, как по отпечатку обуви Adidas советского производства определять ее модель и размер, чтобы потом можно было идентифицировать преступника. Во введении было написано, что "самой распространенной обувью, отпечатки которой мы встречали на месте преступления, были Adidas советского производства, поэтому мы собрали коллекцию этой обуви и сделали такую методичку". Это фантастическая история!

Сергей Медведев: А ведь кроссовки несколько лет назад стали символом протеста. Были антимедеведевские демонстрации, когда выяснилось, что в гардеробе премьера 30 пар кроссовок. И в 2017 году школьники ходили на эти митинги с кроссовками, забрасывали их на деревья. Интересно, что они становятся и политическим символом.

Людмила Алябьева: Мне кажется, это связано не только с нашим контекстом. Периодически кроссовки и другие виды одежды ассоциируются в большей степени и с протестом, в том числе. Конечно, интересно посмотреть, как выглядит протестный гардероб, как он меняется в зависимости от конкретной ситуации и истории. Недавно я видела выставку в "Гараже" – "Ткань процветания". Там как раз есть уголок, посвященный гардеробу человека, который выходит принять участие в некоторой протестной демонстрации. Конечно, кроссовки там тоже есть.

Сергей Медведев: Я думаю, кроссовки являются очень важным символом свободы – это эмансипация нижних классов, эмансипация женщины, эмансипация свободного стиля одежды и, в общем, всех тех веяний свободы, которые пришли в Россию из Америки. Они, так или иначе, освобождали российское общество от архаичных стереотипов, от каких-то классических канонов. Так что носите кроссовки – быстрее пойдете по жизни в кроссовках, а там, даст бог, и побежите!