White sneakers have become the fashion essential of the decade–their influence has permeated the high fashion sphere as well as the life of the casual consumer of “on trend” footwear.

Since the late nineties, the rise of “athleisure”–casual and comfortable clothing designed to be suitable both for exercise and daily wear–has opened up the fashion industry to an expansive market of consumers from those who crave the logo of some niche brand to those seeking simplicity and streamlining. White sneakers have remained at the forefront of this near cultural movement, finding themselves on the feet of people from supermodel Kendall Jenner to Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, as well as in every local Famous Footwear establishment.

The original white sneaker phenomenon began in the 1980s when they became the premiere choice of shoe for NBA players. Their popularity was cemented after American hip hop group RUN-D.M.C. wrote a song titled, “My Adidas”. They famously performed the hit song at Madison Square Garden and asked their audience of 40,000 people to lift up their Adidas in the air.

March 6, 2011 marked the birth of the white sneakers in the realm of high fashion. Phoebe Philo, a premiere British fashion designer, took a bow after her fourth Celine show wearing a pair of Adidas Stan Smiths. Media coverage following the event began to paint the fashion mogul’s white sneaker-adorned strut as the birth of a new era of minimalism, blurring the lines between streetwear, athleisure and high fashion.

In comparison to the bold patterns and styles of recent sneaker collections across the fashion market, the stark simplicity of white sneakers offers universal versatility. While sporting her retro style Air Force 1’s, junior Lili Elkind said, “I wear them for tennis, I wear them for squash, I wear them for ultimate frisbee, and I wear them as part of my everyday garb.”

Co-President of Beyond Threads, the fashion and style club at Masters, senior Michael Garcia feels that simplicity is key to the sneakers’ success. “I think minimalism is a trend that is resurfacing right now and you see it in everything: design, architecture and fashion. So when white sneakers come out that are all plain, white and simple, people are attracted to them because they can match any kind of outfit and can be paired with whatever is already in their wardrobe, ” Garcia said.

High-end brands, usually known for their obscure and at times strange designs have sought to replicate the streamlined and simple concept of the white tennis shoe. Garcia said, “You have designer brands trying to catch up with Puma and Adidas. Gucci now has the Gucci Ace sneakers that are all white.”

While most white sneaker stem from the same basic style, Beyond Threads Co-president senior Karen Li feels that the most successful designs have unique qualities that separate them from the batch. She said, “Brands that really know how to market themselves have their own identity and a distinct style that differentiates them from other brands. If they put that element into the white shoes when they come out with new collections, their brands stand out more.”

Fashion trends are either extinguished or fueled by social influence and pressure. In the case of the white sneaker phenomenon, the desire to own a pair of the multipurpose kicks was prompted by their overwhelming presence both on many consumers’ Instagram feeds and the feet of widely recognized social ‘influencers’. However, some feel that the expansive dominion of these shoes has acted as a deterrent to those who want to preserve their individualism through fashion.

Junior Sophia Viscarello vividly remembered her choice to avoid any white sneaker purchase. “I decided I wasn’t going to get white sneakers when they were super popular in middle school. I told myself I was not going to buy them just because other people were buying them,” she said.