In
1983 the Nike shoe company released a plain white sports shoe called
the Nike Air Force One. Nothing in particular was special about the
design or make of the shoe, save that it was a quality sneaker intended
for sportswear in a market where good sneakers were growing in
popularity. Following the release of the white Nike Air Force One came
other colors but still a middling success. Then in 1986 Michael Jordan
took to the courts sporting red and black Nike Air Force Ones. Almost
over night.
With prices ranging from $70 to $80 for the standard white or black
Nike Air Force One and up to $300 for customized colors and logos this
modest shoe has continued to hold a market share ever since.
Corresponding with the release and growth in popularity of the Nike Air
Force One shoes was the growth of the Hip Hop movement and the growing
popularity of Hip Hop clothing. Hip-hop fashion had begun to gain a
foothold in the late seventies and continued to climb as a major
culture and fashion through out the eighties. Marked by clothing with a
distinctly African American influence the early Hip Hop fashion
included the wearing of large glasses, gold necklaces, rings on many
fingers, oversized clothing in pallets of red, black and green and an
emphasis on brand name footwear that was comfortable and reflective of
personal style.
The Nike Air Force Ones became very popular as a brand of footwear
within the Hip Hop fashion culture. Bright colored with over sized
laces, or white sneakers peaking out from under overlong pants Nike Air
Force Ones maintained their hold on the Hip Hop market through the late
eighties, nineties and continue to hold a strong place now. Whether
high top, low cut or standard height these shoes that were once mostly
for sporting uses are now a casual wear footwear seen on the streets
and in the classroom as well as on the basketball court.
Currently there are many stores that sell the brand name Nike Air Force
Ones, prices ranging from $70 upward, averaging out a bit over $100. In
order to combat these prohibitive prices online websites such as
urbanhotlist.com have appeared, offering discounted prices on these
shoes as well as other popular brand names.
There are both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to working
with an online sales site, like urbanhotlist.com. There is access to a
much broader base of merchandise, in this case additional colors and
styles of shoes that might not be available in stores and pricing can
be kept reasonable, even after shipping and handling. For these
reasons, among others, websites like urbanhotlist have become popular
with consumers. Customers must be sure to get a good refund policy
before placing an order, so that any defects or sizing problems can be
easily addressed.
As long as this movement continues it seems that Nike will have a hit
with their Nike Air Force One shoes and consumers will have places to
go to get what they want for the price they want to pay.
