sneakers news stories on Newser

New Nikes Record How High You Jump

Matt Cantor — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:39:05 CST

Next stop for the digital revolution: Your feet. Nike yesterday showed off its new line of Nike+ footwear that keeps tabs on wearers' movements. Pressure sensors and an accelerometer on the shoes can keep track of distance, jumping height, and step frequency, Mashable reports. The data is linked to iPhone,...

Another Foot Sneaks Ashore in Canada

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:22:00 CDT

This mystery has legs. Yet another sneakered foot has washed ashore in Canada, becoming about the 12th such find in four years. The foot, inside a running shoe, with a bit of leg bone attached, was spotted floating along the shore of Vancouver's False Creek, reports AP . The others have...

Nike Finds Old Waffle Iron That Inspired First Design

John Johnson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:40:03 CST

Nike has back in its possession what the Oregonian calls the company's "Holy Grail"—the waffle iron that inspired co-founder Bill Bowerman to design his first innovative sole. Bowerman's son found the relic buried on his late father's property near Eugene, and the family gave it to Nike. (The company...

Nike Plans Self-Lacing Shoes

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:19:58 CDT

Hoverboards may not yet be commonplace, but soon you might be able to live out your Back to the Future fantasies in at least one way: Self-lacing shoes. Nike has filed a patent for sneakers with an “automatic lacing system” that look very similar to the ones worn by Marty...

How Kobe Killed Hightops

Kevin Spak — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:19:26 CDT

In case you hadn't noticed, hightop sneakers are on death's door. You can thank big stars like Steve Nash, who's worn low-tops all his life, and Kobe Bryant, whose switch to low-tops last year prompted four of his Lakers teammates to follow suit. Of course, they're not alone. Eighty percent...

Nike: We Have No Deal With Vick

John Johnson — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:33:07 CDT

Not so fast, Michael Vick. A day after the quarterback's agent announced he had been re-signed by Nike, the sneaker company says it's just not true. “Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick," said a spokesman. He added, however, that Vick is getting some free shoes. Nike...

Chuck Taylor (and Other Sneaker Names) Revealed

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:45:01 CDT

Some sneaker names are obvious—Air Jordan, anyone? But Mental Floss uncovered the origins of some popular brand names that are a bit more mysterious: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star: A former high school basketball star, Chuck Taylor joined the Converse team in 1921 and helped launch the shoe to...

Soul 2 Sole Scans 30 Years of Sneaker Culture

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:35:25 CDT

David Park, a student at Parsons School of Design, packs 30 years of sneakers and sneaker culture into a stop-action video created for his thesis project, Hype Beast reports. New York in the 1970s is the opener, as Run DMC’s “My Adidas” plays over images of breakdancing kids. The video...

Michelle's $540 Sneaks Fall Flat

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:18:55 CDT

It was bound to happen one day: a misstep by Michelle Obama. She fell for a pair of $540 designer sneakers and trotted them out last week at a food bank, no less. Bad move, says the Guardian . Mrs. I'm-all-about-J. Crew should have ditched the colorful suede Lanvin sneaks and...