001 - On Geezers in Sneakers

When US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack rocked up in Low Top Nike Air Force 1s with black upper and white soles for a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in December last year, the Turkish media and Twitterati were shook. Some conspiratorially minded folk suggested that the soles had listening devices in them, while others decried these low tops as being Nike’s “worst sneaker design”. That’s a pretty bold statement given that they are one of the most frequently imitated sneaker silhouettes of all time.

Named after the plane that carries the President of the United States, it was originally designed for basketball players in the early 1980s. Kids who shot hoops in their parents’ driveway or on the streets couldn’t afford much, but they could (maybe) afford a pair of “Ones”. And so this not-so-humbly-named sneaker took over the streets. The American rapper Nelly loves his “Ones” so much, he even wrote a song about them. We like the Air Force 1. It was one of our go-to sneakers in our youth. We initially bought an all white model at 19 to fit in with the cool crowd and realized why they were such a staple. Comfortable enough to wear all day and versatile to go with most outfits. Yes, even with a suit. But we especially loved them because when we had them on, we were always ready for a spontaneous game of basketball.

Ambassador Barrack is hardly the first or only government official to wear sneakers on official occasions. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani wore a pair of navy nondescript sneakers to the Doha Forum. We think they might be knock offs of the Loro Piana 410 LP Walk Sneakers, but don’t quote us. Similarly, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan met Shaibani wearing a pair of white Aetrex Chase Orthopedic Arch Support sneakers and it was interpreted as being a direct diplomatic snub. But maybe the dude’s got some legit health problems, after all, al-Nahyan is 53 years old. 

But the proverbial king of sneakers in the world of politics and diplomacy has got to be the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. He’s been spotted sporting a variety of white sneakers on many occasions but his sneakerhead moment came when he wore white Adidas Superstars, all laced up, unlike the very influential New York hip-hop trio RUN DMC who preferred theirs sans laces. Personally, we’ve never quite known how to feel about Superstars. We could never quite make it work for us, yet we always appreciated why they were a classic, especially seeing how effortlessly stylish people made them look. We think Mr. Rama could be one of those people, if only he got his suit trousers tailored properly. Sneakers - no matter how iconic - cannot carry a shitty fit.

Last week, the Bank of America issued a 61-page report on the prospects of sportswear companies, with a specific focus on Adidas and Nike, given their large marketshare. The report, somewhat controversially, concluded that the future ain’t looking bright. It listed a lot of reasons but we can’t help but wonder if these Boomer and Elder Gen X geezers - in their effort to cultivate some swag - are making sneakers uncool. Then again, Google searches for Nike Tech fleece surged after images circulated of (technically incumbent but its legally very unclear) Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro wearing the outfit at the time of his capture and arrest. But searches do not necessarily translate into sales.