Latest in Fashion: What Shoe Brands MHS Students Prefer

By Ondina An

December 11, 2024

This week in Latest in Fashion, The Solon Spectrum has asked students to vote on their favorite shoe brand. We presented options that were Nike, Sambas, New Balance, and Converse, with a few write-ins: Doc Martens and Vans. The Solon Spectrum has asked students to choose a favorite and least favorite out of the options 

Nike came in first place with 39.1% of participants voting in favor. Converse came out in second place with 30%. Sambas came third with 22.5%. And New Balance was the least voted for. 

Least favorite shoe brands showed some interesting trends. New Balance was the most hated among the brands, which was unsurprising based on the low favorite votes. However, Converse, despite being the second most loved shoe brand, came in second for the least favorite shoe brand of Montpelier High School. Nike also had a plethora of haters despite also being the most loved, it came in third. And Sambas had the least. 

Now, let's go over specific comments we got on each shoe brand. Converse received many unsavory comments, highlighting the poor design of the shoe. A few said that Converse lacked a unique design with each shoe, took too long to lace up, and had strange sizing to the point where the shoe was uncomfortable. Others contradicted these opinions, claiming Converse seemed the superior shoe because they're a classic staple and are very versatile when it comes to overall outfits.

Many Nike supporters agreed that the brand has been very consistent and has always been worn. There is always a widespread amount of people wearing the classic shoe brand even as micro-trends come and go. Students said that they have come out with the most iconic designs in the shoe industry, like the Air Forces, Air Jordans, and Kobes. Some, however, disagreed, saying Nike is the most basic shoe brand, and didn’t give off a unique sense of style. Rather they seemed like a safe option, and not a lot of thought was put into picking them as part of a whole outfit. 

Sambas were neither strongly favored nor very disliked. The general consensus was that this brand produces reliable shoes that do not add or subtract from the outfit. New Balance shoes were generally uncommented on.

Overall it seems that our school has a pretty wide spread when it comes to opinions on the superior shoe brand. 

***Many people noticed while filling out the form, that Samba’s was added as a category, when in reality Adidas would be the proper brand of shoe. Based on personal experiences I decided to include Samba’s because they were the most common Adidas shoes in the school. 

shows least favorite shows***