In 1861, vulcanized rubber technology was used in shoemaking, marking the birth of modern sports shoes.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Japan, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France had already begun to study sports shoes. The first people to study sports shoes were coaches of sports events, followed by sports shoe manufacturers, and later It evolved into a unique research that closely combines the two. Major brands in the world such as Reebok, Adidas, New Balance, Camel, Puma, etc. have established their own research institutions or think tanks to design and manufacture some unique functional components and special-structured sports shoes. Nike has the most extensive and in-depth research on sports shoes, representing the highest level of research, development and manufacturing of sports shoes in the world. Due to the continuous emergence of new sports events, researching and meeting the needs of these projects and providing new, multi-functional and alternative materials are the themes of the development of sports shoes. At the same time, based on the structure of the original sports shoes, they are improved to make them more Complying with sports characteristics has also received more and more attention. In order to improve the appreciation of competitive sports and reflect the individual characteristics of athletes, the shape is more beautiful, more typical and personalized. In terms of color application, we use a variety of color combinations to increase brightness and make it more vivid.
Before the 1990s, the United States, Germany and Japan were the three major countries in the research, design and manufacturing of sports shoes in the world. They have always led the trend of sports shoes in the world and influenced the development trend of sports shoes. In addition, sports shoes are produced in a wide range of styles, with rich colors, changeable patterns, strong three-dimensionality, and good stiffness. They can be comprehensively matched with clothing to achieve a coordinated overall effect. The hygienic performance requirements of sports shoes are extremely high, and shoe fabrics with deodorizing properties have been developed.
The development of sports shoes will continue to expand with the expansion of people's living space and activity range, the continuous rise of new sports, and the tourism industry has become the fashion of life. There are more and more types of sports shoes, and the styles are constantly being renovated and presented. There are colorful and dazzling trends; secondly, professional sports require continuous improvement of sports level. On the one hand, sports shoes are developing in a more professional direction, and on the other hand, they are also developing in a more popular and fashionable direction, that is, from focusing on their sports functions to The aesthetics of decorative items in clothing are developing in many directions. Third, people’s awareness of environmental protection has increased, and environmentally friendly sports shoes are being accepted by people. Fourth, casual sports shoes are very popular among mass sports. They will combine the advantages of leather shoes and sports shoes, and the boundaries between the two will gradually fade. Due to the unique functionality, protection, comfort and fashion of sports shoes, especially among more and more teenagers, sports shoes have become a fashion; in 1997, the sales of sports shoes in the world were 17 billion US dollars, and in 2003 It was US$23 billion in 2004 and reached US$24 billion in 2004. It is believed that the market share of sports shoes will further expand.
In the 21st century, the use of computers and electronic sensing devices to accurately measure and automatically adjust the movement status of sports shoes is the focus of major brand companies, and sports shoes are more in line with athletes' personal characteristics and sports characteristics, both The development trend of sports shoes will be to satisfy the fit, and to be more comfortable and functional. 500,000 years ago, humans were able to walk and run in an upright posture. However, it was not until about 50,000 years ago that humans learned to use animal skins to make some simple clothes and shoes. When primitive people chased wild animals, they would wrap their feet with leaves, bark and even animal skins, which were the earliest prototypes of shoes. These shields often fell apart during running, so humans gradually learned to tie the shields more firmly. Later, a piece of fresh animal skin was cut off to wrap the feet, and the wrapped animal skin would become harder and harder, even grinding and cutting the feet. Humans used hand tools made of stone or animal bones to soften animal skins, or to use softer materials. They also found that bark, animal skins and other materials tied to the soles of the feet were made into a shape roughly similar to the soles of the feet and then tied to prevent them from falling apart and being punctured. The shape similar to the sole of the foot was later called the sole, and the binding material gradually evolved into the upper.
At that time, the shoes were worn in more intense sports, such as battles between tribes. In order to seize fighter opportunities or escape the other party's pursuit, bark, rattan, animal skin or other straw was tied under the soles of the feet. Cover the soles of your feet to run faster. These shoes, worn during production, combat, and even escaping from natural disasters or attacks by wild beasts, can be regarded as the relatively simple early sports shoes of mankind.
Classical sports shoes originated from ancient messengers who needed to run long distances. At that time, messengers all ran to deliver orders on the battlefield. In order to select messengers who could run fast, the ancient sports games were born. The most representative Olympic Games began in the Greek village of Olympia in 776 BC. The main sports were running. Later, fencing, wrestling, archery, boxing, etc. were added to the sports. In order to obtain the best results, athletes gradually went from running without shoes to wearing shoes. Running shoes thus gradually developed. Later, with more and more sports entertainment and sports events, some special shoes began to appear. The characteristic of special sports shoes at that time was that athletes could only wear leather-soled sports shoes (similar to Oxford shoes, and a kind of rubber-plastic sole was also called Oxford sole) in football, rugby, and cricket games. For anti-slip soles, spikes or studs are often added to the bottom. These sports shoes, which only have individual functions required for sports, mark the emergence of classical sports shoes. The history of modern sports shoes can be traced back to the 1840s. Marked by the use of rubber in the shoemaking industry, the use of rubber provides the conditions for shock absorption that meets the requirements of sports.
In 1832, an Irishman immigrated to the United States and worked as a printer in a small town in Massachusetts. He stood in front of a machine every day and felt pain in the soles of his feet due to excessive pressure from the body's gravity for a long time. Putting on a rubber pad can significantly reduce the pain. His colleagues joked with him and hid the pads. After he returned home, he simply fixed the rubber leather on the soles, and rubber-soled shoes were born.
Vulcanized rubber appeared in 1839, with good wear resistance.
In 1868, the first pair of tennis shoes with flat soles made of vulcanized rubber was born, which marked the official birth of modern sports shoes.
Sporting spikes were used in running shoes for cricket in 1861. At that time, running shoes with spikes were derived from daily men's shoes; and in 1896, running shoes without spikes were derived from running shoes, which was the predecessor of professional running shoes.
In 1873, Americans were using Sneaker (originally meaning no voice, stalker, thief, etc.) to describe sports shoes with cloth rubber soles. This kind of sports shoes makes no sound when used, so Sneakers became the name of sports shoes.
In 1876, the New Liverpool Rubber Company used new technology to produce sports-specific shoes for croquet games. Since then, shoes with rubber soles and canvas surfaces have been favored by consumers, and the British have given cloth-rubber sole sports shoes The shoes were nicknamed Plimsolls.
In 1892, British runners changed their heavy running shoes to spiked running shoes, dominating the running shoe trend.
The long-suspended Olympic Games rose again in Athens, Greece in 1896. The 50-kilometer long-distance race, that is, the marathon, is included in the official event. Marathon running is different from other running events in track and field. The soles do not need to be equipped with spikes like sprint shoes. After that, running shoes used for racing began to be divided into two categories: spikes and spikes. 1. The development of sports shoes in the early 20th century
In the 15 years from 1895 to 1910, the design, production and sales of sports-related competition shoes appeared. There are mainly C, middle-distance running shoes, high jump shoes, C, track and field shoes with spikes, etc. And the shoes used in other sports are gradually becoming more specialized.
In 1900, amateur runner Joseph William Foster changed his workshop into a shoe factory and personally designed a variety of running shoes with spikes that were favored by runners. The predecessor of Reebok, the most powerful company in the shoe industry.
Beginning in 1908, Spalding Company, a famous American sports shoe manufacturer, was the first to provide sports shoes and related equipment to well-known American marathon runners, and dispatched sports shoe experts to supervise the teams. The following year the company introduced running shoes with a lightweight design, making sneakers even lighter.
In 1911, Spalding introduced short running shoes that used rubber on the bottom part, and introduced a structural design with internal and external double air chambers. The central air chamber acted as a shock absorber because of its small pressure. It plays the role of a device, and the surrounding air chambers play a supporting and stabilizing role due to the high pressure.
In 1915, Spalding Company began to produce sprint, middle-distance running shoes, high jump shoes, javelin shoes, etc. with spiked soles. The last of the sports shoes has been improved, the toe part has become rounded, the physical arrangement is looser than before, and the combination of the upper and the sole is no longer hand-sewn.
In 1928, Mr. Kelly, an American who participated in the marathon, had been trying to make his own running shoes, bowling shoes, high jump shoes, and rubber-soled casual shoes that were cheaper, lighter, and more comfortable. etc. and participated in competitions in various places; making contributions to the development of sports shoes. In the same year, the old British shoemaker Luckin began to design sports shoes with eyelets and shoelaces on the outside of the instep, and an elastic band on the top of the instep to achieve the purpose of fit. Try not to design stitches where the foot contacts the shoe, and maintain a seamless toe to avoid foot blisters. At the same time, the sole is separated from the front and back, and the entire outsole is easy to repair and replace.
In 1936, Germany’s Dassler family had become a world-renowned sports brand. The widely used sports shoe lace-up device C-shaped buckle was launched by them in 1941. They also designed Features a lacing structure that supports the arch of the foot.
In 1948, the Dassler brothers broke up on bad terms, and his brother Adolf established the Addas company, which was the predecessor of the later Adidas company; Dassler opened it at the other end of the same town. Puma, a company with a booming business. Adidas has established the world's first sports shoe expo, housing the most complete collection of track and field shoes since 1924; while Puma has preserved the company's early running shoes and the results of sports shoe research gained over the years. patent. The war between the two brothers at the Olympic Games reaches its most intense level every four years. Both companies design special shoes for well-known athletes for free, which greatly promotes the development of sports shoes.
In 1951, Tiger, Japan's most well-known shoemaking company, began producing running shoes specifically for marathon sports. This kind of running shoe has a special shape: the toe is not the usual one-piece shape, but the front part of the sole is divided into two parts. The front part of the upper is also composed of two parts, that is, the big toe is separated from the other four toes.
In the 1950s, the marathon movement set off a new wave of upsurge.
In the 1950s, the running shoes produced by Saucony Company (one of the subsidiaries of Heidi Company) combined the advantages of Spalding Company and Luckin shoes. The uppers were made of kangaroo leather and the soles were It adopts a welt structure, with a relatively wide toe and seamless cutting design. The sole is mainly made of genuine leather, and key parts are covered with natural rubber to achieve light weight and excellent shock absorption effect.
In the 1950s, the competition for sports shoes between the United States, Germany, and Japan basically formed.
With the rise of warm-up exercises in the 1950s, warm-up shoes (training shoes) appeared. These shoes are somewhere between spiked running shoes and shock-absorbing flat shoes. Suitable for warm-up exercises such as muscle stretching, weight training, trotting, etc. before various sports competitions.
In the 1960s, most running soles were equipped with independent heels to meet the requirements of runners. The predecessor of New Balalice was developed from Riley-Riley Company, which started manufacturing orthotic shoes in Boston in 1906. It has many years of experience in making difficult orthopedic shoes. In 1961, the company began to expand its tentacles. Extended to the field of running shoes, the principle of orthopedic shoes is applied to running shoes. The running shoes seen on the market evolved from New Balance's running shoes.
Because this shape is similar to a wedge, it is called a heel wedge, and later evolved into a full-piece center insert.
Another feature of New Balance's running shoes is that they provide consumers with a variety of fatness options. There are as many as five fatnesses for consumers to choose from.
Another major event in sports shoes in the 1960s was the aerobic dance trend and the advent of midsoles. In 1968, the United States promoted the "New Life Movement" and a kind of "aerobic dance movement" emerged. It influenced the style of casual sports shoes, and casual sports shoes developed from this.
In 1963, Blue Ribbon Sports, the predecessor of Nike, cooperated with Bowman Company to specialize in import trade. At that time, all running shoe soles included the soles of the feet. A piece of material at the bottom was dug out, and the front and heel parts of the sole were separated. The thickness was only 6mm, and the shock absorption effect of the sole was not ideal.
In 1967, Tagore Company proposed washing dirty shoes directly in a washing machine. Two running shoes with entirely nylon mesh uppers were launched, one for marathon shoes and the other for competition spikes. The soles of running shoes are cut off, and then the soles of slippers are glued on (equal to the function of inserting), and finally a layer of wear-resistant rubber sole is attached as the outsole. This improved structure is the same as the development of nylon mesh. , and finally became the standard design for running shoe soles. It had a decisive influence on the development history of sports shoes and became the basic pattern of jogging soles later.
In April 1967, reviews and reports on sports shoes began to appear in the United States. It has greatly standardized the production and sales of sports shoes, promoted the improvement of sports shoe quality and the upgrading of products, and gradually improved the quality system of sports shoes.
In 1968, the full-chip insert was invented, which was to modify Japanese bathroom slippers into the bottom of sports shoes. At that time, there was also a trend to design the heel height of sports shoes to be lower, and the shoe line was not filled with foam material padding to increase its comfort. However, a taproot (hougang treasure) was embedded between the upper and the inner lining, which became one of the upper parts commonly used in sports shoes later.
Around 1970, Bowman broke through traditional concepts and boldly made improvements in the structure of sports shoes. A student at Portland State College designed the hook logo. Jeff Johnson, one of the company's founders, came up with the name "Nike" in a dream. “Nike” is a winged goddess of victory in Greek stories, and the hook-shaped trademark also looks like wings.
In 1973, Nike first successfully developed the nylon mesh upper, which was the focus of popularity in running shoes at that time.
In 1973, Mr. Bowman improved the structural design of running shoes. He poured PU glue into an iron mold for making wafer biscuits, took out the dried PU glue from the iron mold, and it became a piece of PU glue that is still in use today. 's famous wafer base. The wafer sole became a lightweight, studless sprint track shoe and later a marathon running shoe, and its influence was far-reaching.
In 1974, Brooks Company first used a revolutionary polymer material-EVA, which was light in weight and had good shock absorption effect. Soon, EVA replaced rubber as the most widely used insert material.
In 1977, the use of nylon mesh to make sports shoe uppers became popular around the world. Le Cordon Bleu Sports Company invented the full-piece shock-absorbing midsole for running soles, and the midsole has become an indispensable part of most sports shoes.
In 1978, in order to prevent the heel joint of the foot from overturning, Adidas was the first to design and use a heel guard between the upper and the lining of the heel, also called a heel guard; at the same time, in the heel Inserted into the upper corner of the shoe, the design uses an "exposed heel stabilizing piece" to further enhance the heel stabilizing effect. In view of the fact that the running shoes at that time were too low and would wear the skin of the Achilles tendon, an "Achilles tendon protection piece" was made on the top of the rear heel to make it easier for the heel to penetrate into the shoe. Add fabric tabs.
In 1985, Nike cooperated with big-name stars such as NBA basketball stars Jordan and Bakrie, and professional tennis star Andre Agassi, which greatly promoted the high-level development of the sports industry.
In 1987, Nike invented the first pair of air-cushion shoes with a shock-absorbing device under the heel.
In 1988, Asics embedded silicone (Gel) cushions in the middle inserts of sports shoes, opening up a new field of shock absorption. In the late 1980s, Etonic designed a stability air cushion device to address the shortcomings of early air cushion shoes in terms of insufficient stability. The stability air cushion is composed of multiple independent small air chambers, each of which has shock absorption. function, thereby overcoming the shaking and instability of the water bed caused by traditional air cushions. Another contribution is the design of three different styles of air cushions for general foot types, high arch foot types, and flat foot types, which can achieve the effect of controlling and correcting the foot inversion phenomenon. Hi-Tec uses a cylindrical sphere to make a mid-insert shock-absorbing device in the heel, and names it ABC device (Air Ball Concept). The sphere contains gas inside. Based on different shock absorption and protection needs, the ABC ball is designed with different hardness and elasticity to meet consumers' needs for the air cushion they need. The Finnish Karhu shoe factory with a long history also invented a series of air-cushion running shoes, which are characterized by hollowing out the middle heel and dividing the entire sole into four layers. The empty center is inserted above the second floor, creating an effect similar to a spring trampoline in a gymnasium. The third layer can be regarded as the base of the first and second layers, while the fourth layer is the rubber outsole in contact with the ground.
In 1988, Conway's second-generation elastic pressure reduction system (REACTⅡ) came out. The core of this system is a glue solid that can be molded into any shape. Like the car's anti-collision system, this glue solid has a cushioning and shock-absorbing function for the feet, can effectively disperse impact pressure, and can withstand vertical impulses of more than 8000N. It can provide Better elasticity and wearing comfort.
Characteristics of sports shoes in the 1980s, various functional designs came out one after another. Air-cushion shoes were the mainstream, developing in several directions such as shock-absorbing soft rubber pads, honeycomb structures, spring plate principles, and silicone liquid cushions. .
In 1991, it began to use lower-priced transparent rubber materials to produce running shoes or some sports shoes.
In 1992, transparent PVC materials began to be used instead of transparent rubber to produce sports shoes, and transparent sports sole designs became a trend. Nike's air-cushioned shoes are developing towards the principles of bigger (bigger) and more exposed (more exposed). The air cushions are constantly updated and the quality is getting better and better.
In 1993, the inflator and air pump device were invented. The inflator can adjust the elasticity of the heel and forefoot of the sole respectively, and the pressure value can be accurately displayed through the pressure gauge on the outer waist of the instep. . The air pump device can fully replace shoelaces and move from the upper to the sole. The shock absorption protection and elasticity provided by the sole can meet the needs of different users. It can also be inflated or decompressed like a car tire, and can be adjusted to the most appropriate level according to the individual's opinion.
In 1997, bionic sports shoes were launched. Bionic sneakers are products developed to imitate the jumping movements of kangaroos. When walking in this kind of shoes, the foot exerts pressure on the spring, and in turn the spring exerts a driving force on the foot. The wearer obtains "jumping" energy when walking, thereby speeding up the walking speed.
In short, the technological development of sports shoes has evolved from rubber-soled canvas shoes in the mid-19th century to leather-upper rubber-soled shoes in the 1950s and 1960s, and then evolved into rubber-soled shoes in the 1970s. The structural method of nylon mesh upper with EVA base material. In the 1980s, various functional devices in the middle part of the sole were emphasized. After evolving into the 1990s, various shoe materials and structural design methods were used to move toward customization. development requirements.
Sneakers in the 1990s placed more emphasis on fit than those in the 1970s or 1980s, making sneakers in the late 1990s more versatile and ideal in performance. In the 1990s, running sandals combined the structural design of running shoes with the characteristics of sports sandals, and sports sandals became one of the best-selling sports shoes.