The history of trainers

Yorkshire-based sneaker aficionados could do far worse than to have a peek at the Sport to Street exhibition opening in Barnsely next month, which sets out a visual history of the training show.

The show will trace the history of the shoes from its birth as a soft-soled tennis pump, as sported by none other than everyone’s favourite tubby wife-killer Henry VIII, right up to the fashion staple it has become today.

While rubber-soled footwear for sports had become more popular during the 19^th century, it was only really in the 1970s that they came to be seen as fashion items, led by US companies such as Converse and Keds.

The aerobics fads of the 1980s saw the shoes come into their own – as did musicians such as Run DMC – rarely seen without their iconic Adidas Superstars.

As the craze for health and fitness became more mainstream, brands looked to how technology could move trainers into the realm of being both practical and on-trend.

Showing all the big brands – Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok and New Balance – the exhibition aims to look beyond the visual and performance elements of trainers and delve into the relationships between brands and subcultures and between brands and celebrities.

 Sport to Street runs from 8 September-10 October at The Gallery at The civic, Hanson Street, Barnsley S70