‘The Magic Sauce’: An Examination of Sneaker Collaborations Between Brands and Celebrities

The sneaker world today is more popular than it has ever been before. The global sneaker market was valued at an estimated $79 billion in 2020 and is predicted to reach $120 billion by 2026. A big part of the reason why the sneaker market has taken off recently is because of sneaker collaborations. A sneaker collaboration is when an outside entity, like a sneaker store, athlete or celebrity, works with a footwear brand to create a new version of the shoe. But what makes a sneaker collaboration between a sneaker company and a celebrity successful? And do the things that industry insiders say make a successful collaboration correlate with young people's level of interest in buying the shoe. Do celebrity behaviors influence college-age students' perception of the sneaker. My Barrett Honor's Thesis examines sneaker collaborations between brands and celebrities and looks to find answers to these questions.