Sneakers have come a long way from when they were first invented in 1860s England for the upper-class playing croquet and tennis.

Long worn for function rather than fashion, today sneakers are an entire culture—both a form of self-expression and a high art found in museum exhibits and designer auction houses where a single pair can fetch millions of dollars.

As Ben Affleck’s star-studded film Air depicts, the emergence of sneaker culture can be traced to Nike’s 1984 collaboration with basketball superstar Michael Jordan on their iconic Air Jordans. Here’s the story of sneakers—and the sneakerheads who collect them.

Most sneakerheads credit the advent of their subculture to the rise of athlete-endorsed shoes in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Converse’s