White Shoes

White shoes are the new black. This started with the “white belt” trend in early 2002. Trend setting club hoppers across America wanted to be the first to wear the contrasting apparel, trying white shirts, white pants, white ties and even white hats. But the only fashion that made a successful fashion statement without screaming it was the white shoe.

First popular among hip-hop and rap enthusiasts, the white shoe became a symbol of two things: wealth, and cleanliness. The white sneaker proclaimed clean lines and soon became part of the hip hop image of well-to-do. The rap community, wanting to showcase their taste for a pure, keep-it-real attitude, donned white shoes. While the shoes sent out a message of simplicity, they also provided a sharp contrast to the wearers’ dark baggy pants. Since white shows up so clearly, the shoes made a nice addition to the profile.