All of us, except my mate Wesley Thomas wear shoes and have the desire to turn heads with the specific pair we are wearing. This not only has to do with our social/self image, but also our individual tastes and styles. When it comes to sneakers there are a few brands that dominate the top of mind slot. Me being a sportsman, am heavily influenced by the adverts I see, the performance player’s get from products and most importantly, the comfort and visual appeal 😉 I find that I am more heavily influenced by sales and discounts by any of the other factors, maybe because I am a scurreler, but that is the fact!
When I think of sneaker brands a few main names come to mind for me. This will obviously be a bit different to that of people that have no interest in sport and spend more time dying their hair and seeking tighter jeans 😉 Nothing against that crowd, I myself am a fan of Macbeth’s etc. but regarding big brands this is my story, and it involves Nike, Adidas and Puma. I m going to assess each brand and justify my decision accordingly…
When it comes to these guys there is no such thing as half jobs. Nike is at the forefront of sneaker and sport industries all over the globe and the unique style does not stop with their sneakers. Their ‘Nike – Write The Future’ campaign during the FIFA World Cup was amongst some of the best football advertising I have ever seen.
Write The Future - A truly great campaign that moved football fans all over the planet!
Nike offers a host of different products from men’s, to women’s, to sports, to leisure and even stretching to dancing. Whatever the occasion, Nike will have something that will catch your eye and also your wallet! Their stuff is quite pricey, but hey if you want quality, you have to pay that much more for it. One thing I do have to complain about though, is the weak stitching and more so the glue. I find that all Nike footwear has this one similar problem, the glue does not last!
One thing I love is the Nike ID campaign, which allows you to design and embroider your very own style of Nike Sneakers. You choose everything from the style to the colour of laces. This option does not stop there and extends into their football range. One is able to embroider their name on each boot and personalize it to their specific taste and style. This has helped differentiate famous footballers all over the world, simply by the unique boots they wear!
Nike offers a sea of colour and styles to choose from...
To surmise, Nike has never let me down and always provide something that is not only visually appealing, reasonably affordable, but also extremely comfortable. Therefore, Nike get my vote for one of my personal favourites.
All Day I Dream About Sport. The theory behind the Adidas brand name articulates exactly what the brand communicates. A way to achieve the best sporting results, with the finest selection of sporting goods and apparel. The brand began in Germany by Adi Daisler, brother and foe Rudi Daisler, the founder of Puma. If this story interests you, do yourself a favour and pick up the book Pitch Invasion, it is about the meteoric rise of these Global brands, situated across the river from one another!
Best Value Buy
This brand covers the broadest spectrum of sport, from tennis to badmington. One thing I will admit is that their Stan Smith’s are probably my favourite purchase to date, with the Adidas Adi Pure boots the next on my list, if I can afford them! Adidas have done well to create a sub brand, being Adidas Originals, which highlites many vintage styles from when the brand was still retro.
The Adidas Originals new look website
I like their sneakers, but I really feel hat they are more of a performance brand than that of a style orientated, fashion brand like Puma. Therefore if sport is you vibe and you live a sporty lifestyle, the Adidas brand is the perfect fit for you 🙂
Puma is at the heart of it all when it comes to mixing sport with fashion. Their trendy products and focused design helps keep them at the top of mind in both the sporting and fashion categories. I will be the first to say that their pricing is extremely high as well as the fact that their products are more cool, than durable. I will also admit that the most comfortable football boots I have ever worn, cost R180 in Thailand and I could not take them off!
Puma and Ferrari. Clearly an image thing!
The brand enjoys a high brand awareness and is constantly in the consumers eye. When it comes to sneakers I am not a huge fan of this particular brand. Their shoes look like the same thing Nigel Mansel used to wear in 1998 behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, in other words they are crap! I guess this is just my opinion, but I would not pay the exorbitant prices Puma demand, for a very ordinary looking product.
Pole Position with Puma
Maybe it was a good thing that Adi and Rudi had that fight all those years ago, which ensured the brothers split to grow their own projects. I am just glad that Rudi had no say in the design of the Adidas ranges 😉
Nothing beats the Jeremy Scott Collection…pure hotness!!
yet to see them…
DC all the way, far to comfy for words and built to last. dynamically designed to look after your feet while you beat a halfpipe or bowls while cruising on four wheels.
by far the most stylish comfortable and durable
Anyone at DC out there that is keen to sponsor this clear, DC Brand Ambassador?
shot for the input Rosso, appreciate it bra!
Nice site, easy on the eyes and great content too. Keep it up bra!
I will consider these shoes since they do look very good – on the other hand Nike Air Max Goadome are really amazing for me personally. They are the most cozy footwear I own. I would really like to put on those to work daily, yet my boss disapproves. I purchased these in 08 and they are generally still in good condition. Dark color is reasonably alright – however i wish they offered white ones!!!