5. The Birth of Cool

Sneakernomics is a close encounter with the visionaries, artisans and journeymen who’ve made, and been made, by trainers. We’ll follow in the footsteps of mavericks, hustlers and dreamers, and hear their tales of boom and bust, fame and infamy, hope and heartbreak. Across nine episodes, Sneakernomics tells the extraordinary origin stories of some of the world’s biggest brands, and how sponsorship deals and celebrity culture redefined our relationship with products. It’s also a business story – how leisure has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry; a sports story – how games became organised and grew into a global spectacle; and it’s a story of invention – how enthusiastic hobbyist-pioneers often took extraordinary risks that changed the course of sport and fashion. The sneaker story is characterised by fierce competition and rivalry. We explore how the quest to be number one tore families and friendships apart and divided towns. Above all, this is the story of the people behind the shoes. What you’ll hear is a mix of interviews with many of the key individuals who’ve played their part in that extraordinary story, interlaced with moments of fiction inspired by their testimonies and our research. Written and presented by Nicholas Smith, with 1Xtra presenter Ace. The drama is written by Al Smith. Paul . . . . . Gunnar Cauthery Steve . . . . . Aaron Gelkoff Tony . . . . . Arun Blair-Mangat Bill . . . . . Nathan Osgood Barbara . . . . . Jane Whittenshaw Shoji . . . . . Daniel York Loh Phil . . . . . Trevor White John . . . . . Mark Edel-Hunt Doug . . . . . Joseph Balderrama Rob . . . . . Wilf Scolding Production Trainee: Marithe Van Der Aa Assistant Producer: Ben Hollands Sound: Peter Ringrose Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko Special thanks: Walt Frazier, Art Simburg, Tony Alva, Steve Van Doren, Jeff Johnson, Julie Dixon, Bob Woodell, Peter Moore, Russ Gater, Cindy Yoshimura, Patricia James, Clare Ewing and Jamie Larsen. First heard on BBC Sounds in 2021.

You can listen to 5. The Birth of Cool online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

5. The Birth of Cool is an episode from Sneakernomics by BBC.

This episode is 57:06 long.

This episode was published on May 14, 2021.

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