11 REASONS THE SNEAKER INDUSTRY TOOK FLIGHT IN CHICAGO - PART ONE
DREW GREER
??POLYMATH: Strategic Creator & Curator: CONTENT ? CONSUMER GOODs/SNEAKER Pioneer & Serial STORYTELLER ? Competitive PLAY-MAKER + Master HUMORIST
And YOU Say CHI City, CHI City, CHI City
?? CHICAGO is the Culturally Forgotten City. Sandwiched between Two Global Heavy Weights in Los Angeles and New York, Recognition does not come EASY!
??This holds equally true within the SNEAKER Landscape.
?? Folks Sleep on the contributions made by:
- “The MIGHTY CITY of The MidWest”
?? Recently, THE CHI has elevated its positioning on the Global stage with KANYE WEST + Crew taking over STREETWEAR and The Runways of FASHION.
?? Please Note, MR WEST‘s success is partially a byproducts of a city with Deep History, Decades of Stealth Global Contributions & A Creative Blue Collar Mentality that Lives throughout its Vast Number of Ethnically Divided Neighborhoods.
?? So, before we Dig into CHICAGO’s SNEAKER Flight we must take 'THE L" and Dive Deeper into The CITY’s early Narrative.
?? CHE-CAU-GO
?? To my surprise, CHICAGO was discovered by JEAN BAPTIST POINT DU SABLE, a Black Haitian in The 1770s.
?? It seems very convenient that the Third Largest City in America was discovered by a BLACK MAN and I am just unfolding this TRUTH - talk about selective history-telling and promoting.
?? EARLY DAYS OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
??When The City of CHICAGO began to take shape at the turn of the 20th Century a large portion of its population was made up of European Immigrants including: Irish, German, Italian and Polish.
?? Staking their claim on Neighborhoods, Jobs and Political Power.
?? THE GREAT BLACK MIGRATION
?? The CITY’s BLACK Population was only 1% in 1900.
?? But from 1916 to 1919 the AFRICAN-AMERICAN population in CHICAGO increased from 44,000 to 109,000, a 148% climb.
?? The thriving Industrial Economy in THE CITY was led by such industries as: Meat Packing, Rail Road, Clothing Production, Tanneries, Metal Factories and even early Automobile Production.
?? CHICAGO companies began to target & poach BLACKS in the South to fill their labor void. To the extent of Purchasing Advertising, providing Free Transportation and Painting the Dream of Opportunity.
?? With BLACKS coming off slavery and primarily working in the capacity of Sharecropping, they jumped at the opportunity.
?? The desire to escape The JIM CROW Laws of The South, Seeking Education for their Children as well as Higher Wages - BLACKS took a “BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY” Mentality in their quest to escape the ghost of slavery.
?? This set the stage for THE GREAT MIGRATION.
?? CHICAGO became The BLACK METROPOLIS, one of America’s First CHOCOLATE CITIES and Pre-1915 had a solid reputation for the treatment of BLACKS.
?? JULY 27, 1919
??Post World War I the Racial Tensions in CHICAGO escalated amongst the Races, especially in the competitive Labor and Housing Markets.
?? The Beef came to a head in the CHICAGO 1919 RACE RIOTS aka THE RED SUMMER.
?? By the 1920s, CHICAGO was Home to the Largest Chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in the US at 50,000 members.
?? This served as the Racially Dividing Moment in THE CITY that still exist TODAY.
?? THE SEGREGATED CITY
?? CHICAGO is the Second most segregated city in the US, with DETROIT holding the title.
??The WINDY CITY is made up of:
- 77 Neighborhoods
- 51 Communities
- 2.7 Million residents
- 50 Wards
- 1/3 White, 1/3 Black and 1/3 Hispanic
?? TASTES OF CHICAGO
?? Although, CHICAGO is a divided city of Laborers - it is also a Region of Innovators driven to develop a Better Way of Life.
??Some of their Contributions to the Globe include:
?? CULINARY DELIGHTS
?? CHICAGO is home to over 7300 restaurants ranging from several Award Winning & Globally Recognized Establishments as well as the Birth Place of McDONALD’s and Hood Famous HAROLD’s CHICKEN SHACK.
?? Additional Culinary and/or Fast Food Favorites Birthed in CHICAGO include: Deep-Dish Pizza, Brownies, Twinkies, Cracker Jacks, Juicy Fruit Gum, Oscar Mayer Weiners, Italian Beef and the CHICAGO-style Hot Dogs.
?? FASHION FIRST
?? CHICAGO was an early contributor to the Fashion Industry including many major retailers headquartered in THE CITY and at one point was a Top Producer of Menswear.
?? From the basic ZIPPER to the extravagant ZOOT SUITS - All Born in The WINDY CITY.
?? ARCHITECTURE & THE ARTS
?? The Architecture & Arts of CHICAGO have influenced The World.
?? Home to the first and once tallest SKYSCRAPER in the Western Hemisphere and the first PLAYBOY MANSION.
?? The FILM INDUSTRY began its journey in THE CHI and WALT DISNEY himself was born in city limits.
?? Even from a Street Culture perspective, SPRAY PAINT was invented on the streets of CHICAGO.
?? TECH MAVEN
?? In this Tech World of Today, we must pay respect to the contributions of CHICAGO as She brought us the: Color Television (TV) , TV Remote Control, Car Radio and Cell Phone.
?? So, although it is a Divided City it has a CREATIVE SPIRIT??
“MASTER PIECE: Pain Turned Into Art”
?? CHICAGO is a Major Center of Music with its Sounds Traveling Around The World.
?? From The Ashes of Despair, BLACK CHICAGO leveraged its Pain & Struggles as a Creative Catalyst and the Music Industry Capitalized On It.
?? Several Unique and New Genres of Music Made their Way Out of CHI-TOWN.
?? During The "THE GREAT MIGRATION” BLACK Laborers from the South brought traditional JAZZ and BLUES MUSIC to THE CITY then created a new sound in "CHICAGO-Style" DIXIE JAZZ.
?? GOSPEL and HOUSE Music claim CHICAGO as their origin.
?? CHICAGO even has its own POV as it relates to HIP-HOP.
?? From STEP DANCING to SOUL TRAIN, CHICAGO has kept the World Grooving.
?? Now, that we have laid the foundation on how CHICAGO Came To Be, Its Challenges and A Taste of what makes it special - we now can proceed into the Journey of the:
???? 11 REASONS THE SNEAKER INDUSTRY TOOK FLIGHT IN CHICAGO
?? The Impact BLACK CHICAGO has made on the Fashion Industry from an Innovation as well as Amplification Stand Point is Undeniable??
?? SUNDAY BEST was a huge tradition in the BLACK Community where the Slave or the Sharecropper was transformed from Servants to Stylish Saints.
?? AFRICAN-AMERICAN Men have always leveraged their STYLE as a way to Challenge Stereotypes as The Lowest Figure on The U.S. Economic Totem Pole.
?? From CHICAGO’s JAZZ & ZOOT SUITS Era to the very expressive CIVIL RIGHTS & BLACK POWER MOMENT of the 60's - Fashion made Statements and Spoke Volumes without uttering a single word.
?? SOUL TRAIN and BLACK Publications: EBONY & JET were founded in CHICAGO and were vital sources of the latest in Fashion for the AFICAN-AMERICAN Communities of the U.S.
?? So as a CHICAGO CITY KIDS would grow to Love SPORTS in epic proportions coupled with the emergence of the then new underground Hip-Hop Movement - a shift was made from the Platform Shoes of the DISCO ERA to Fresh SNEAKERS of GENERATION X.
2. SPORTS-TOWN, USA
?? In CHICAGO, SPORTS creates a City Bond in an extremely Segregated Environment outside of the CUBS and WHITE SOX Divide.
?? The CITY Of CHICAGO is 1 of 10 U.S. Cities blessed with Teams in all 5 Major American Professional Sports including Soccer and two Baseball Teams.
?? Named The Best SPORTS CITY by SPORTING NEWS 3 Times.
??SPORTS are truly a currency in CHICAGO from Spectatorship as well as on a Participatory level.
??The CITY’s Newspapers were among the Nation's First to develop entire pages and even sections for SPORTS, and local writers cultivated a unique narrative style.
?? Before the Turn of the Century, “THE WINDY CITY” introduced “The World “ to the Game of SOFTBALL in 1887.
?? The First AUTOMOBILE RACE took place in THE CHI in 1895.
?? The NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE was Founded in 1920 by RUDE FOSTER in The Real Gotham City
?? The First MLB BASEBALL ALL-STAR debut was on July 6, 1933, at COMISKEY PARK.
?? RIDDEL & WILSON SPORTING GOODS are Headquartered and founded in CHICAGO.
?? SPAULDING was Founded in The Greater CHICAGO Area.
?? HORWEEN LEATHER COMPANY aka Tannery is literally a byproduct of the local MeatPacking Industry in THE CITY, provides the official hides for the game balls of the NFL & NBA as well as RAWLINGS Baseball Gloves.
?? SOLE FOOD: SPORTS is Clout in CHICAGO breaking barriers and carries heavy weight around town - with the emergence of the HIP-HOP Movement - SNEAKERS became an extension of this energy serving equally as equipment for the GAME but also allowed Young BLACK Dreamers to mimic their Heroes while making a Distinguishing Cultural Statement.
3. HOOP DREAM
?? CHICAGO is a BASKETBALL TOWN First??
?? From COOLEY HIGH to HOOP DREAMS, CHICAGO’s Connection to Basketball has been clearly depicted in Cinema but is Truly a True Story.
?? CHICAGO has Over a 100 GYMs, 600 Parks and 300 Playgrounds with the Hoop Courts making them very desired locations.
?? The HARLEM aka SOUTH-SIDE GLOBETROTTERS were founded in 1924 on CHICAGO Courts.
?? Proud Home of the 1963 NCAA BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, LOYOLA -CHICAGO RAMBLERS.
?? BASKETBALL is a Tradition in CHICAGO and they have an endless list of Accomplished Players with many earning their own Signature SNEAKER.
?? Local CHICAGO High School Teams + Players and Playground Stars had Influence on THE CITY rivaling the NBA & NCAA Elite On the Court, as well as Off it from a Style perspective - with Gym Shoes (A CHI Term) aka SNEAKERS emerging as a major currency.
?? Early pioneering brand, GET P.A.I.D was debatably the first urban Basketball Only Apparel Brand, even before AND 1 - was created and inspired by CHICAGO BASKETBALL.
?? CHICAGO BASKETBALL has a Defined sense of Pride and Ethos including Style Points.
?? So even before MJ Got To Town, CHICAGO was a HOOP CITY Filled with a SNEAKER ADDICTION but THE GOAT would take it to epidemic proportions.
4. THE DOCTOR
?? JULIUS WINFIELD ERVING II was not a CHICAGO native or ever represented any BASKETBALL Team in THE CITY but became American’s First FLY SPORTS Icon, Inspiring ALL RACES.
??THE DOCTOR brought the Playground Game of New York City to a National Stage in the Professional Ranks.
?? From ERVING’s ALL-STAR Performances, High Flying Play and Flamboyant Style with Class off The Court, DR J was the epitome of COOL.
?? DOC was one of the First BLACK ATHLETES to land National Endorsement Deals of all nature
?? Although, CONVERSE had a lock on BASKETBALL SNEAKERS at one point with most of the NBA Sporting their CHUCK TAYLOR ALL-STARS - it was JULIUS ERVING that defined and positioned them in the 70s as one of the SNEAKER Brands of choice in leather form.
?? DOC memorized BLACK Kids in America including CHICAGO‘s own with epic CHAMPIONSHIPS Battles, Aerobatic DUNK Contest Feats while Sporting a Style Defining AFROCENTRIC Fro.
?? When THE DOCTOR was in The House, CHICAGO Kids and Beyond wanted to come over with his SNEAKERS literally in-hand and/or on their FEET.
?? CHICAGO‘s First Signature SNEAKER Icon was A DOCTOR??
5. HOMETOWN HERO
?? ISIAH LORD THOMAS was CHICAGO’s First Homegrown Hero in the SNEAKER Era representing his city to the fullest with his GRITTY PLAY, Individual Accountability and ultimate dedication to Team Success.
?? Winning CHAMPIONSHIPs on every level, ISIAH's BASKETBALL Resume is Memorable :
?? But the defining SNEAKER Movement for ZEKE was winning the 1981 NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP slashing through the season in adidas TOP TENs while playing in the BIG TEN.
?? adidas became a CHICAGO Town and I.T. was an contributing factor in this adoption.
?? During ISIAH’s NBA Tenure, He would Partner with several SNEAKER Brands as he ripped through the league in:
?? Unfortunately, MR THOMAS would fall out of favor with his city as he played for their team's rival in the DETROIT PISTONS and became tangled in controversy with the GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER of ALL TIME.
?? ISIAH may have shown signs of weakness as The GOAT took over his HOMETOWN, THE NBA and The GLOBE but no one can deny his impact on defining the early SNEAKER Era.
?? The FLIGHT Continues in PART 2 with FOCUS ON:
?? THE GOAT
?? PIP
?? THE PLAYERS
?? THE MERCHANTS
?? ROSE
?? YE & FAM
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