GQ

Seinfeld casually rocking his iconic white sneakers on an episode of Seinfeld. Photo courtesy of POPSUGAR fashion.

High schoolers: Imagine, for a moment, you’re getting ready to go out with your friends on a Friday night. You get changed to head over to their house and you throw on some clothes. More often than not, it’s probably going to be a pair of athletic pants and either some perfectly white sneakers that you’re terrified to death of wearing if it’s not perfect weather or that colorful pair of high tops that looks like they were painted with a highlighter. Well, believe it or not, this fashion choice wasn’t always seen as something so obvious and normal. 

Some may think this change of pace in the fashion world is just due to growing laziness and sloppiness in society, but it was instead a deliberate fashion trend popularized by perhaps the tidiest celebrity in America, Jerry Seinfeld. Possibly the most iconic comedian of the 80s and 90s and the star of the popular sitcom, “Seinfeld”, Jerry Seinfeld created a wave of change in what’s acceptable to wear by showing off what seemed to be a new pair of white Nike shoes every episode of his popular sitcom. However, in a 2014 interview with Complex News, Seinfeld gave all the credit to two other stars. 

“It started with wanting to be Joe Namath of the 1969 New York Jets, who at that time was one of the only football players to wear white shoes. And I wanted to be like him, so I always wore white sneakers. Also, Bill Cosby on I SPY always wore white sneakers. And they were my fashion icons.”

In virtually every episode of Seinfeld, Jerry can be seen sporting a spotless white pair of Nike sneakers, often Jordans. In select cases, his shoes even had a bright accent of color. If you took a look at his co stars, they, without fail, always be seen wearing some brown loafers or another kind of dress shoe. This was the case for most people (unless you’re a superstar quarterback or comedy guru) until Seinfeld changed the world’s shoe game for good. In another Complex News article, Seinfeld was coined as “the Most Important Celebrity in Sneaker Culture ”.

They even go on to describe him as a sneakerhead, somebody who has a vast knowledge and passion for shoes. Seinfeld is certainly worthy of the sneakerhead title. In a time when the only place sneakers and sweats were acceptable was in the gym, Seinfeld bravely turned comfort into style. 

So next time you throw on a pair of white Nike high tops before you head to school, you can thank Jerry Seinfeld for what’s on your feet.