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Once upon a time, the only people who wore sneakers without laces were people in jail. Along with belts and the like, shoelaces were confiscated to prevent alleged criminals from harming themselves or their fellow inmates. To show solidarity with those locked up due to miscarriages of justice, unfair targeting by police and courts, and the prison-industrial complex, young men began sporting laceless sneakers of their own volition. This included the young men comprising Run DMC, who not only wore the style publicly, but referenced it in their songs.
Wearing sneakers without laces became a trend that took on a life of its own, and designers began to make sneakers specifically meant to be worn without laces. Today, the style that only faintly echoes its original connotations has evolved into an entirely separate design category. However, shoes with laces are still going strong, reflecting a split in consumer preferences when it comes to ensuring shoes stay on feet in a fashionable manner.
On the plus side, one is spoiled for choice when it comes to shopping for laceless styles.Noshoelace, an online magazine that contributes content to Soletron, focuses exclusively on highlighting the best laceless sneakers for fans of this style. This selection expands or contracts depending on how strictly you define what constitutes a shoelace: some no-laces purists consider coilers and Lock Laces cheating, while others insist they count as laceless styles. Personal style preferences come into play, too: some avoid folded Velcro closings because of their association with grannies and grade school.
Unlike when the trend began, you generally don’t have to worry about clomping around in floppy sneakers if you choose to forego laces. Nowadays, most laceless styles are crafted with the necessary design and materials to fit securely on your feet.
However, if you go laceless, you do miss out on trying out 18 different shoelace knots, and the ability to change the look of your shoes by swapping out the laces.
Released in 2004, the Air Jordan XIX was the first Air Jordan that could be worn laceless, though it included a pair of laces for those who preferred more stability.
What’s your preference – laces or no laces?
via Soletron: http://soletron.com/2011/05/10/laceless-sneakers-yea-nay/
