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There are plenty of celebrities who are known as having influenced our sneaker purchasing decisions over the years: Spike Lee, Kanye West, and Nelly, to name a few. They're not the only big names who have gotten in on wearing cool shoes over the years. In fact, there's a whole host of archival photos of celebs that aren't associated with "sneaker culture" who have worn good footwear over the years. In fact, finding one of these outlier photos can be truly inspirational. Everyone can have influence if they do it right.
To find the treasure trove of these photos, we enlisted the one and only Sergey Velsin, the Russian man behind the popular Instagram account Trainer Spotting. (Seriously, you need to follow him.)
Take a look at photos you've probably never seen before of celebs you'll recognize who are wearing the sneakers you want.
Larry King
Year: 1990
Sneaker: Nike Healthwalker Plus
Larry King is actually older than a lot of footwear brands, at 85 years old, and has been married more times than Michael Jordan has won rings. Before the dad shoe trend was a thing, King was wearing comfortable walking shoes, as showcased by him in a pair of the Nike Healthwalker Plus. The shoe also had a similar version that was one of the first, but often forgot about, Air Max designs. The irony of King wearing this early Healthwalker is that it would become the epitome of uncool Nike shoes later on, with it being an all-white or all-black walking shoe marketed to suburban moms.
Jason Bateman
Year: 1990
Sneaker: Nike Air Trainer SC II Low
I never knew that Jason Bateman was in the sequel to Teen Wolf. He wasn’t as much of a sneaker legend as Michael J. Fox, but this photo is good.
Paul Hogan
Year: 1996
Sneaker: Nike Air Max Tailwind 96
“Now that’s a pair of sneakers,” is what I imagine Crocodile Dundee’s Paul Hogan saying about his Nike Air Max Tailwinds form 1996, which have never been retroed.
Frances McDormand
Year: 1998
Sneaker: Nike Air Max 97
I’ve never seen a film with Frances McDormand in it, but she’s won two Academy Awards, so that seems like a big deal. What piques my interest more and speaks to the things that I’m into is a photo of her wearing a pair of “Silver” Air Max 97s just one year after that they were originally released.
Robbie Williams
Year: 2000
Sneaker: Nike Air Rift
Throw on Robbie Williams’ “Angels” and try not to have all the feels. To be honest, though, most people know him for wanting to fight Liam Gallagher. My money’s on Oasis. He wore a pair of Nike Air Rifts, which have a lot of ninja qualities to their design with the split toe. So maybe that would help in a scrap.
Pamela Anderson
Year: 1995
Sneaker: Puma Suede
1995. Baywatch-era Pam Anderson. Wow, that brings back memories. Gonna leave it at that. Nice to see she ditched the red bathing suit and UGGs for a suit and a pair of lush green Puma Suedes, though.
Ellen DeGeneres
Year: 1994
Sneaker: Nike Bruin
At this point, you aren’t surprised if Ellen DeGeneres, who hosts her eponymous talk, had a huge sneaker moment. She’s worn Fear of God x Nikes and even gave fame to the Damn Daniel kids, who I still believe were industry plants. In the ‘90s, when she was a sitcom star, she still had a good sneaker game—as exhibited by these red and white Nike Bruins.
Giorgio Armani
Year: 1996
Sneaker: Nike Air Max 1
Giorgio Armani is probably known best for his jeans, or being the man behind the brand adored by a legion over-gelled, spiked-haired bros getting their fist pump on at the Jersey Shore. He also, apparently, was into good shoes. Like this all-white Nike Air Max 1 with a gum sole.
Jim Carrey
Year: 1991
Sneaker: Nike Air Ultra Force
Remember when Jim Carrey was actually funny? It’s been a long time. Apparently in those days he was wearing shoes that were as big, ridiculous, and cool as his shtick, like the Nike Air Ultra Force.
Elle McPherson
Year: 1992
Sneaker: Adidas Gazelle
The Adidas Gazelle has been many things to many people. It’s been a training shoe, worn by rock stars, football casuals, and supermodels. One of the most famous moments the shoe had was when it was worn by Kate Moss. Another one of the world’s biggest supermodels, Australia’s Elle McPherson, wore them in the same colorway, red and white, and looked just as cool. I know people always say older shoes were better, but, man, the shape on those things was awful.
Shirley Manson
Year: 1998
Sneaker: Nike Air Max 95
Shirley Manson was garbage, literally. She was the lead singer of the UK band Garbage that was an international success in the ‘90s. Something that wasn’t garbage in the ‘90s was the Air Max 95, which saw re-issues during the same decade. One of the most revered pairs was the “Pool,” a women’s exclusive. Good luck finding a pair and one you can wear (it’s impossible). So have a look at Manson wearing them back then.
Bjork
Year: 1995
Sneaker: Reebok Instapump Fury
Bjork was one of the oddest singers in the ‘90s and the Reebok Instapump Fury was a weird shoe, too. Seems like they’d make a perfect match, and they did. Simple as that.
Britney Spears
Year: 1999
Sneaker: Nike Air Terra Humara
Everyone I knew in 1999 had a crush on Britney Spears. She was the biggest popstar in the world at the time. Who knew she had sneaker game? I imagine she wore Nike Air Terra Humaras not because of their niche cool, but because they were just a tough shoe trail shoe you could wear outdoors. Either way, who cares. It’s a great photo.
Oprah Winfrey
Year: 1995
Sneaker: Nike Air Max 93
The ‘90s were a strong decade for sneakers and day time talk shows. No personalities were bigger than Oprah Winfrey, who cemented herself during the decade as a legend. She was also spotted wearing a strong shoe from the same era, the Air Max 93. Oprah was the first to do many things, and the Air Max 93 was the first shoe to have a 270 Air Max unit. That’s an awful correlation, right? I agree.