High Tech Steps Into Hightops
Warning:
“If this is the only thing that gives your lungs a workout, don’t buy our aerobic shoes,” says a voice over a close-up of a smoldering cigarette.
It’s a new ad for Avia athletic shoes. And if you think it sounds intimidating, consider several others. Reebok now describes its active footwear with equations more appropriate to physics textbooks. Converse asks us to notice the mastery of their “energy wave” system, whatever that is. And even fashion-oriented L.A. Gear is talking about “rear-foot motion control” and “cantilevered outsoles.”
In the hard-fought battle for activewear shoe sales, these are the latest attempts to coax, cajole or castigate us to shape up and wear the right stuff while we’re at it. And like them or not, they must be working. Athletic shoes are now a $7-billion industry.
Where intimidation ends, hero worship begins. Everyone from Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls star player for whom the Air Jordan court shoe was named, to retiring Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who poses in an L.A. Gear ad, is promoting athletic footwear in national ads, confusing the issue even more.
And then there is the whole question of what’s in for people who want to wear the look but never intend to set foot inside a gym.
That is by far the easiest question to answer. Hightops, especially in white leather, are the street shoe of the season. All the better if they appear to be inflated by an air pump, to suggest moon boots. While white is the favorite color, pastel laces and stitching are popular touches for women’s shoes. Primary color details are turning up on men’s styles.
It’s not so easy for people who work out. How do they separate the hype from the high-tech advances? And how do they justify paying the $100-plus price for “state-of-the-art” workout shoes?
The first step is to realize that genuine, new advances in research and development are improving performance footwear and facilitating the pursuit of fitness.
What is more, properly designed shoes do minimize the impact of stress on muscles and bones during athletic activities, which reduces the risk of injury. All of the above makes it worth the effort to search for the right shoes.
Karen Voight, co-owner of Voight Fitness Center in West Hollywood, takes that challenge seriously. So when Adidas asked her to test their new, Torsion Aerobic model, which has a V-shaped channel in the mid-sole to allow the front and the back of the foot to move independently, and a “flex” bar in the center for lateral stability, she instinctively understood the importance of the features.
After several weeks of wearing the shoes, she found that the special features really did make a difference, and she said she would be willing to pay the $69 price when the shoes are available in stores this summer.
Their look, by the way, is intentionally low key. They could pass for a number of other aerobic styles.
“Everything that makes them different is inside,” Voight says.
Among skateboard shoes, Vision Street Wear’s 15000 model is a leader this season. A new style, priced at $65, it offers shoelace protectors (Velcro-backed bands that cover the laces) as well as “ollie pads,” a trademark name for the shoe’s toe patches. The thinner sole makes it easier for skaters to feel the board and direct it. From the fashion point of view, the yellow-and-black “caution tape” ribbing on the sole enhances the radical image that skaters so carefully cultivate.
No shoe currently straddles the dual demands of athletic performance and street fashion more successfully than Nike’s Air Jordan. Designed as a court shoe, it features a two-piece air-unit sole that adds flexibility, but also pushes the retail price to $110. Despite that, stores cannot keep it in stock.
It is now the shoe of choice among young urban men both on and off basketball courts, which undoubtedly stems more from its macho style than its high-level performance. It’s a dense, heavy design, even militaristic looking. Nonetheless, it is good enough for its namesake, Michael Jordan, to wear it during NBA games.
Asked to evaluate a range of performance shoes, Dr. Steven Silvers, a Brentwood podiatrist, found that the performance-oriented extras, especially the shock absorption devices, explain the soaring price.
Silvers points out that most shoes are now crafted for a specific sport and might not be the most comfortable or durable for all-purpose use. For that, he says, people would be better off buying a new style called a cross-trainer.
The shoe takes its name from the technique of using a variety of sports to achieve overall fitness. And it is designed to enable the wearer to do just that. The heel is elevated, which reduces stress on the lower back during workouts. As a fashion point, it is available in low-cut, three-quarter and high-top silhouettes.
As with most other activewear shoes now, there are so many brands of cross-trainer with so many special features to choose from that selecting a pair can be an overwhelming project.
Avia’s model, for instance, looks the most like aerobic shoes; Autry, a respected competitor, makes cross-trainers with interchangeable innersoles; Reebok offers various models, dependent on individual training programs. Converse and Air Nike boast an efficient “Energy Return System,” which refers to the high level of bounce-back after impact. Prices for cross-trainers range from about $60 to $100.
With any athletic shoe, the only way to cut through the confusion is to try on a variety and find out which works best for your foot and your specific needs.
Be prepared for three-figure prices. And don’t expect performance shoes to last as long as others do, however high the quality.
“Activewear shoes are meant to last from six to eight months,” says Sean Mahar, manager of Phidippides Athletic Shoes in Marina del Rey.
His one consolation: “At these prices you should be getting the best support, cushioning and wear available.”
If you’re not, bring them back. The store or the manufacturer that interests you should stand behind the shoes. And although they don’t advertise it, most reputable companies do replace a shoe that fails to live up to expectations.
Because there is no substitute for a good fit, consider patronizing a specialty store that caters to athletes. Among the best known are Frontrunners in Brentwood, Go Sport in Century City, Nike in West Hollywood and Phidippides. Their prices may be higher than most chain stores, but their sales personnel tend to have firsthand knowledge about the array of available options.
