🎤 From Turnschuhe to Sneakers: The Hip-Hop & Brand Love Affair of '86
Today, collaborations between musicians and brands are nothing special anymore. But in 1986, they were groundbreaking.
Since I was a kid, I only wore "Turnschuhe" – nobody called them sneakers back then. And being born in Germany, I knew no other brand than Adidas (of course, I knew Puma, but I did not care).
Run-DMC was one of the first I heard of when this new thing called "Hip-Hop" came over. I was lucky to have cable TV as one of the first in Germany. We were living in Cologne close to the TV tower – which was the cable TV test area. My uncle worked at "The German Post," so he ensured my parents got cable TV.
Suddenly, the massive TV in my home opened the door to another world – I could watch MTV! And I think I probably saw every episode of Yo! MTV Raps (and all my friends came to my home to watch MTV with me).
It was the first time I recognized that Run-DMC was rapping about "My Adidas" and wearing them. Of course, I had no clue how that came to life, but since then, I knew Hip-Hop and sneakers belong together.
Until today, this is a masterpiece on how brands can work with artists. If done right, collaborations can still be powerful today.
Highsnobiety wrote a great article about this first entry of sneakers into Hip-Hop.
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Thanks for reading
Jürgen