Everyone needs a hobby right? Some people collect baseball cards, some albums, hell some people collect Pokémons (Gotta catch them all). This is closely related to the fashion industry as well, with some people collecting products of a certain brand of products of a certain category, denim for example.

Denim freaks sure love their denim (myself included), a community closely related to denim freaks is sneaker freaks. Naturally you need a fly pair of kicks to complement a fine pair of jeans. The sneaker culture is celebrated by brands such as KiksTYO who have built their whole concept around sneaker freaks and their love for their shoes.

Shoes have always told much about their wearer with certain brands getting sort of iconic positioning. Shell Toe Adidas, Nike Air Force 1′s, Air Jordans, Converse, and the list goes on. The brands and their position are further elevated by entertainment industry.

The sneaker culture has walked hand in hand with Hip Hop culture, with artists such as Run DMC expressing their feelings to their favorite brands in songs such as My Adidas. Back in the day the sneakers told the rest of the bunch who you were and there were cases of people intentionally pissing on the other man’s sneakers, and when the dude started wiping his shoes clean, the other party simply knocked the man out cold and robbed him off his kicks. The status value of one’s sneakers naturally made people very protective of their shoes which was also expressed in the Hip Hop lyrics.

This has not changed one bit, as people in growing numbers feel the need to get their shoe game right. The influence of the Hip Hop or Popular Culture on the fashion/sneaker industry is evident in numerous artists getting their shoe deals and designing a shoe line of their own. Most recent being Kanye West’s Louis Vuitton collaboration which was the result of his internship at the fashion label.

KiksTYO has been celebrating the the close relationship between sneaker and music industries ever since its launch in 2006. One of the brands most recent collaborations is with New York photographer Ricky Powell who has documented some of the most iconic artists and moments in hip hop history along with the growth of sneaker culture. His work is portrayed in a line of Tees also available at Nordic Denim House.

Everybody’s got their favorite kicks and we are curious to see and hear about your kicks so feel free to drop a comment and let us know what’s your favorite pair of sneakers and you can also send pictures of your kicks to info@nordicdenimhouse.com.

Will get back at y’all later with more to share but until then, enjoy your weekend and Happy Easter…