25 Sep 2018

Features Fashion adidas Originals

Sneakers That Defined Russia's 1990s Rave Scene

ARTICLE BY

Gabe Filippa
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header 21
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header 22
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header 23
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header 21
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header 22
Shoes That Defined Russias 1990S Rave Scene Header 23

It was December 25, 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev walked from his post as president of the Soviet Union. The hammer and sickle lowered over the Kremlin for the last time, and Boris Yeltsin took his place in the newly independent Russian state.

Noise reverberated from behind the iron curtain.

Kids from across Moscow and Saint Petersburg took control of abandoned buildings, plugging their DIY raves into the surge of musical influence coming from the West. Clubs like Tunnel, Slaughterhouse and Ptych articulated a new artistic freedom, and offered a place to navigate the existential traumas springing from Soviet dissolution. The floodgates to the West opened, leading to the spillover of imitation adidas, authentic Air Max, and US terrace culture into Russia's local rave scene.

Here are the sneakers that helped forge the new Russian identity.

For first-looks, up-to-date sneaker buying info, industry news and deep-dive features sign up to our mailing list!

25 Sep 2018

Features Fashion adidas Originals Air Max

For first-looks, up-to-date sneaker buying info, industry news and deep-dive features sign up to our mailing list!