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Bobbito Garcia

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Where'd You Get Those? New York City's Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 Hardcover – September 1, 2003

by Bobbito Garcia (Author)

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The first of it's kind, the lavishly illustrated and remarkably comprehensive, Where'd You Get Those?, is an insider's account that traces New York City sneaker culture back to its earliest days. Describing how a small and dedicated group of sneaker consumers in the 70s and early 80s proved instrumental in establishing current corporate giants like Nike and Adidas, aficionado Bobbito Garcia writes with the exactitude and affection that only a true believer could bring. While chronicling the rise of sneakers through the lean years of the 60s, the bulk of the book examines sneakers released between the golden years of 1970-1987. Information-packed entries for each model include all of the color combinations available, nicknames of particular models, any relevant athlete endorsement, and (often hilarious) running commentary and stories from a rogues' gallery of fanatics who weigh in on the pros and cons of each sneaker. Via ancillary lifestyle chapters like "Arts and Crafts,"(which details the elaborate process of customizing sneakers ) and "The Sock Hop" (which introduces the unfortunates who had their shoes stolen off their feet, and the sneakers junkies who took them), Where'd You Get Those? examines sneaker culture from every angle. The tome even includes a chapter on New York City's playground basketball legends, the real progenitors of "urban marketing," whose athletic prowess inspired kids on the street to adopt their brands. And in a nod to more recent history, a chapter entitled "Future Undergound Classics" recognizes the models released post-1987 that maintain relevance within an increasingly soulless and money-driven industry. The best secret stores to purchase rare joints, the proper way to care for your kicks, the experts' list of the top ten sneakers of all time--it's all here. Everything you ever wanted to know about the production, distribution, and consumption of sneakers during the seminal years of sneaker culture in New York--the city that set the stage for the worldwide dominance of today's sneaker industry.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Testify Books
Publication date

September 1, 2003
Dimensions

8.25 x 1 x 10.75 inches
ISBN-10

1576871797
ISBN-13

978-1576871799
See all details

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Before Nike controlled nearly half of the global sneaker market" and "before yuppies started wearing sneakers with their suits to walk to and from work," sneaker culture was the province of "sneaker fiends" and ball players, Garcia declares in his paean to the lost golden age of streetwise footwear. A cultural critic, journalist and DJ, Garcia waxes nostalgic-in slang, of course-about "the most seminal and coveted joints" from the 1960s through 1987. For each model, Garcia shares color combinations, nicknames, relevant athlete endorsements and quips from fans on each sneaker's pros and cons. With photographs of basketball players on the court and kids breakdancing on city sidewalks, advertisements for Jordache (with Earl "The Pearl" Monroe pitching, "Go One-On-One With... the Jordache Look"), and up-close shots of classic shoes like the Nike Air Force 1 and the Converse All Star, this is a comprehensive, informative study of shoe culture, as well as a hip tribute to icons like Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ivan Lendl.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The New Yorker

In the nineteen-seventies, colorful sneakers made by Adidas, Puma, and Nike began to eclipse traditional Converses on the basketball courts and sidewalks, and a fetish was born. In New York City, a fanatical coalition of basketball players, graffiti writers, break-dancers, and rappers devoted themselves to the stylistic possibilities of these shoes, making cults of certain models, coloring and customizing them and devising elaborate lacing patterns. Garcia's book is an anthropological trove, blending autobiography, oral history, vintage ads, grainy shots of urban glamour, and (occasionally too much) loving description of individual sneakers. Though most of the testimony concerns subjective questions of fashion sense, an occasional note of functionality intrudes: praising an Adidas high-top, a graffiti writer says, "If I was bombing the elevated trains I wanted ankle support and Top Tens were ridiculous for that."
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Testify Books; First Edition (September 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1576871797
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1576871799
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.66 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 1 x 10.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #825,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #392 in Sports Essays (Books)
- #607 in Textile & Costume (Books)
- #1,662 in Fashion Design

Customer Reviews:
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Bobbito Garcia

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NYC native Bobbito García is a visionary creative who has put an indelible footprint on multiple urban movements.

During the 1990s, the legendary air personality was one-half of the “Stretch and Bobbito” program on WKCR. The duo introduced the world to an unsigned Nas, Biggie, and Wu-Tang, as well as an unknown Jay-Z, Eminem, and the Fugees. The total record sales for all the artists that premiered on their platform exceed 300 million. In 1998, the Source Magazine voted them as “The Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time,“ and in 2023, they were inducted into the NAB Radio Hall of Fame.

As the progenitor of sneaker journalism, García penned his landmark Source article “Confessions of a Sneaker Addict” in 1990, then in 2003 became the critically acclaimed author of Where’d You Get Those? NYC’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 (Testify Books). In 2005, ESPN’s “It’s The Shoes” series, hosted by Bobbito, became the first show on the subject in broadcasting history.

A former professional basketball player in Puerto Rico, García performed in the ground breaking Nike “Freestyle” commercial. In 2007, the brand released seven co-designed Air Force 1 sneakers bearing his name. The voice of EA Sports’ popular NBA Street video game is also a world-renowned DJ, who has spun World, Soul and Jazz music at Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage, and the Smithsonian (DC).

As an award-winning filmmaker, García has directed Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC (PBS, Netflix), Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives (Showtime, Netflix), and NY Times “Critics’ Pick" Rock Rubber 45s (Smithsonian African American Film Festival 2018 official selection). Transitioning to TV, he also directed eight “SneakerCenter” episodes for ESPN+.

A founding member of the Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Culture Council and a 2018 Wesleyan University “Distinguished Alumni Award” recipient, "Kool Bob Love” currently produces his b-ball tournament Full Court 21™ in four continents, co-produces Stretch & Bobbito + The M19s Band music, is a DJ/Host on Apple Music Hits’ “Stretch and Bobbito Radio,“ and is the proud author of his first children’s book titled Aim High, Little Giant, Aim High!

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Mark Rabago

I got this 10 years later, but JUST IN TIME...

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2014

Verified Purchase

Really interesting book showing the EARLY days of the sneaker game, being 38 I remember quite a bit of these shoes worn by my uncles and even some pairs I had as a kid. Just the visuals alone are really neat to look at and some of the comments by the contributors to the book were funny, you can feel the excitement from their words. This book is an acquired taste but I've been bitten by the bug so it was a must in my book.

3 people found this helpful

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Monica N. Pierce

For A Teenager obsessed with sneakers

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2014

Verified Purchase

My 15 yr old nephew loves sneakers. Classics, new ones, all of them. This was a bday gift that he loved. He even took the book to the sneaker store with him to see how close the classic sneakers looked in relation to the newer ones of the same brand. And also he's actually reading the book...and he wants to buy more sneaker books....

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Amazon Customer

The Bible of sneaker culture

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2019

Verified Purchase

If you consider yourself an expert in sneaker culture then this is your Rosetta Stone/Narmer’s Palette. Crucial.

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