Shoes have always been one of the biggest parts of the fashion industry, and over the years, the most coveted types of shoes have changed drastically. From the Chuck Taylors of the ‘60s to the Air Maxes of the ‘90s, the brand at the top of the food chain has been ever-changing. However, in this new decade, two brands have really stepped up to become the main driving forces in the industry: Nike and Adidas.

Nike has been a mainstay of the shoe industry for over four decades. Since the cultural phenomenon that was the Air Jordan line, debuting in the ‘80s, Nike has been at the forefront of the culture, with collabs and silhouettes that have been on everyone’s feet, such as the Cortez, Air Force, and Dunk. Similarly, their main competitor, Adidas, have had a fantastic past few decades. Dominating the 2010s with their culture-shifting line Yeezy, in collaboration with Kanye West, Adidas has changed the way shoes have been designed in modern fashion. 

With the recent cultural shift in footwear being the wave of low-top shoes, it’s no surprise that Adidas has kept its hot streak as the more popular shoe brand. In this new decade, the Adidas Samba and Adidas Gazelle became some of the most bought shoes in the world. The Adidas Samba was reported to be the biggest contributor to Adidas having a 19% year-over-year revenue jump in Q4 of their 2024 fiscal year from their 2023 year. 

With all the evidence, one would assume that the trend of Adidas preference would transfer to other communities, including our own. However, a student poll conducted by the Omega staff reveals that, despite the recent cultural shift to the lows offered by Adidas, it hasn’t affected the popularity of Nike. 265 students were split into two categories: athletes and non-athletes. While certain athletic teams at DGN will prefer shoes tied to team sponsorships more than others, the poll revealed that 149 student athletes preferred Nike shoes, over the 29 students who preferred Adidas. Even then, outside of athletics, the student body still prefers Nike, with 80 votes, to Adidas, with only 44.

Even more interestingly, the poll revealed the popularity of a third, lesser talked about option. In a question targeted towards all students, regardless of athletics, 127 students named New Balance as one of their top brands outside of the main two. Brooks and Asics followed after, with 40 and 22 votes respectively, which makes sense for athletes. Many prefer Brooks for a running shoe, as well as the aforementioned New Balance.

There are a few factors that go into this revelation, and one of the most voted ones was comfort, with 245 votes. Nike makes highly popular gym shoes that many students in general prefer for their feel on the feet, and Adidas doesn’t market their gym shoe options nearly as much as their highest selling silhouettes. Many of the biggest complaints for Adidas shoe offerings is the lack of support in the arch of the foot, as well as a sole that is hard on the feet, something that the Nike gym shoes offer in copious amounts. 

The second most popular factor was the style of the shoe, with 206 votes, which is where conversation becomes a little more subjective. While the base gym shoe styles of both brands are relatively the same, the iconic silhouettes are what most people default to a brand for. Whether it’s the high-top Nike offerings, like the Air Jordan line, or the low to the ground Adidas Samba, the style is a more or less individual factor.

Shoes  have always been one of the biggest parts of the fashion industry. From the Chuck Taylors of the ‘60s to the Air Maxes of the ‘90s, the brand at the top of the industry has been ever-changing. However, throughout the 2020’s, two brands have really become the main driving forces in the industry: Nike and Adidas.

Nike has been a mainstay of the shoe industry for over four decades. Since the cultural phenomenon that was the Air Jordan line, debuting in the ‘80s, Nike has been at the forefront of the culture, with collabs and silhouettes that have been on everyone’s feet, such as the Cortez, Air Force, and Dunk. Similarly, their main competitor, Adidas, has had a fantastic past few decades. Dominating the 2010s with their culture-shifting line Yeezy, in collaboration with Kanye West, Adidas has changed the way shoes have been designed in modern fashion. 

With the recent cultural shift in footwear being the wave of low-top shoes, it’s no surprise that Adidas has kept its hot streak as the more popular shoe brand. In the 2020’s, the Adidas Samba and Adidas Gazelle became some of the most bought shoes in the world. The Adidas Samba was reported to be the biggest contributor to Adidas having a 19% year-over-year revenue jump in Q4 of their 2024 fiscal year from their 2023 year. Additionally, collabs with Bad Bunny and sponsorships as massive as the World Cup have cemented this new era of Adidas as the top of the line when it comes to shoes.

To determine if this translates over to the DGN community, the Omega staff conducted a poll, revealing that, despite the recent cultural shift, the popularity of Nike is unchanged.

265 student responses were split into two categories: athletes and non-athletes. The poll revealed that 149 student athletes preferred Nike shoes, over the 29 students who preferred Adidas. Even then, outside of athletics, the student body still prefers Nike over Adidas, with 80 votes over 44.

One of the most voted aspects was comfort, with 245 votes. Nike makes highly popular gym shoes that many students in general prefer for their feel on the feet, and Adidas doesn’t market their gym shoe options nearly as much as their highest selling, low-top silhouettes, which are criticized for their lack of support. 

The second most popular factor was the style of the shoe, with 206 votes, which is where conversation becomes subjective. While the base gym shoe styles of both brands are relatively the same, the iconic silhouettes are what most people default to a brand for. Whether it’s the high-top Nike offerings, like the Air Jordan line, or the low to the ground Adidas Samba, the style is a more or less individual factor.

While the two brands may have changed in their dynamic on the larger scale, here at DGN, Nike is still very much at the top of the food chain.