Greek life is an integral element to the student culture at DU. This week, I set out to talk to a few students who are involved in Greek life on campus. I asked them various questions relating to sneakers, general sneaker culture at DU and specifically, the sneaker culture that is unique to their particular fraternity or sorority.
Margaux Burdick is a senior marketing major from Encinitas, Calif. who is a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. When we talked, she wore a pair of Lugged Chuck Taylor All Stars pictured in the main image of the article. However, these were not the typical Converse All Stars – with an extra chunky midsole, these shoes looked more bulky than the typical Converse sneakers. Burdick acknowledged that girls at DU wear these more chunky, large midsole shoes. I definitely agree with her, the majority of girls on campus are wearing chunky sneaker silhouettes or all-white sneakers.
I asked Burdick about sneakers worn in Alpha Phi, and she identified one particular shoe that she saw more often than others. In her opinion, she thought that the Nike Air Force 1 ‘low’ was one of, if not the most popular shoes that she saw in Alpha Phi. One of the most iconic sneakers in sneaker history are the Nike Air Force 1s. These sneakers are over 30 years old but they are still extremely popular in 2019. It was exciting to talk to Burdick because she also mentioned how more and more she is realizing and caring about the sneakers she puts on her feet whenever she steps out of her home.
The other student that I interviewed on campus was Nick Riggs. Riggs is also a senior at DU studying psychology. He hails from Park City, Utah and is in the fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha. When I asked Riggs about DU’s sneaker culture versus the sneaker culture of Lambda Chi Alpha, he noticed there were a lot of similarities between the two. Riggs said while walking around DU’s campus, you will see a lot of people wearing Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars, Vans Authentics and Adidas Stan Smith’s. All three of these sneakers are some of the most sold sneakers of all time. In Lambda Chi Alpha, you will more than likely see his brothers wearing those types of sneakers as well. Even though the majority of people that he knows and sees on campus wear very similar sneakers, he noted that, if you look hard enough,there are people on DU’s campus who are wearing some very cool and unique sneakers.
The most fun aspect about talking to each of these students was their individual perspective on sneakers. Sneakers are everywhere and our sneakers can hold very important memories for us whether they be momentos of adventure or ways we express our style.
