The Renaissance Man's Sneakers Weeb Site
	L.A. Gear Brand

My Sneakers

I don't have a pair of these

With L.A. Gear’s fancy footwear on your feet, whether you were in Los Angeles or Kansas, you were the height of fashion. Founded in 1983, L.A. Gear provided high-style shoes in bold colors and designs for the whole family. Best known for their fashion color hi-tops with colored laces, the company also manufactured shoes for dancing, playing or just strolling the beaches.

L.A. Gear shoes were everywhere in the 80’s: they graced the feet of Michael Jackson (who even had his own line, complete with ‘Moonwalker’ logo), Paula Abdul and just about every school-age girl in America. Although they had a men’s line, LA Gear’s high-fashion style appealed to girls looking for a pair of pink high-tops to match their blue slouch socks, acid wash jean skirt, and off the shoulder pink sweatshirt.

A fashion-forward company, L.A. Gear delivered up a dose of fun when other athletic shoes were fairly lackluster. When the hi-top obsession hit, L.A. Gear was on the scene with Crayola colors and fluorescent flash. The Workout hi-top sneaker had easy-access Velcro strap closures, and shoelaces that matched the color of the shoe. Best remembered for the leather style, it was also made in denim, eyelet, mylar and patent leather. This was not a traditional Converse hi-top: this shoe had soul.

L.A. Gear shoes had attitude: with style names like Robin Hood, Streetwalker, Maniac and Melrose, the shoes took you where you were going and got you noticed, too. The Sunset Strip got sassy with a soft cotton hi-top with snap-open sides, the dancer style Bullet got bold in cotton and leather, and the L.A. Rollercoaster put a twist on the traditional deck shoe when a shoelace weaved in and out around the top. But the flair didn’t stop there: L.A. Gear designed boxes for each shoe style, creating a mood before the top was ever opened. The Confetti shoe with the multi-colored sole had the same confetti-colored design on the box top.

L.A. Gear’s attention to feet (and details) marched them up the ladder of success, and the company became the number three footwear manufacturer of the late 80’s. In addition to shoes, the name was seen on workout wear, jean jackets, and other apparel. They exist today, still creating a hi-fashion and functional shoe. In a world flooded with fads, L.A. Gear went the distance and came out a winner.

the first lighted sneaker designs were the "LA Lights" series from LA Gear. However, they were only sized for children. Later on, the Fayva shoe store chain released their own "Brake Lights" series, which included motion-activated lighting modules in adult-sized sneakers. but I never found any that would fit me :o(

No matter what design was used, the motion sensor provided a great deal of frustration to the designers of these types of sneakers:

1. Some early designs used mercury tilt switches. They were reliable, but the mercury resulted in a sneaker that was considered hazardous waste by the US Environmental Protection Agency. (Because of the severe toxicity of mercury, a broken tilt switch can literally result in having one's house declared a "SUPERFUND" cleanup site.)
2. After discovering the disadvantage of the mercury tilt switch, the designers substituted a plastic tab depressed by the weight of the wearer. They were environmentally safe, but not reliable. Plastic fatigue would set in. Instead of merely flashing while in a run, the light would come on and stay on until the batteries discharged.

LA Gear also released a "Light Gear" series with removable and interchangeable LED (light-emitting diode) cartridges. Red was standard, while orange and green "Light Gear" LED cartridges were available separately at extra cost. (One of my many readers, Patrick, was kind enough to send these pictures. He mentioned that one could change out the LED, and made blue "Light Gear" cartridges.) The pictures below show the LA Gear "Light Gear" cartridges:

Except for kids (who still seem fascinated by lighted sneakers), none of the lighted sneakers remained on the market for a long period of time.

As of December 1997, LA Gear was in serious financial trouble; they went off the New York Stock Exchange and into private ownership, but they're still in business as of Fall 1999. (Their Web site is still up, but it's only displaying the Spring 1999 product line.) It may very well be that the originator of the lighted sneaker will soon go dark for good. So many of their sneakers have over the past few years.

		© Ragnar Torfason 2006 April 7