If we asked you to list a few sneaker brands, you’d likely start with names like Nike, Adidas, New Balance and even Converse. There are so many incredible shoe brands that sell sneakers, but none of the biggest names are Black-owned. The brands that the most popular athletes, celebrities and influencers wear aren’t owned by Black folks—even though these shoes have been marketed toward the Black community for years.
Frankly, it’s all a bit shocking. One would assume that there would be dozens of cool Black-owned sneaker brands out there. There are some incredible Black-owned clothing businesses, lifestyle brands and even general footwear brands—so why not very many sneaker brands? There are plenty of theories to discuss, but one might simply be the fact that the largest and most popular sneaker brands that exist right now already have the love of Black athletes, celebrities and influencers.