Design of sneakers through technical and functional change aimed to daily use

ABSTRACTSneakers are shoe types, which are designed in accordance with the qualifications of the sport type. Sneakers design that varies with social, economical and technological factors is an important extension of mass production and branding in the shoe industry. Diversity seen in design is an important factor for sneakers to be widely used in our day. Having the sneakers use also outside of the sport activities in our day, cause this shoe type to be mentioned as a symbol of social identity.Within the scope of this thesis, in the with the changes aimed to the design and function of the sport shoes designed to play sports, design and identity structure formed for daily use, will be discussed. Also sneakers for daily use having similar qualification with the types of sneakers to play sports are among the subjects, which are examined to emphasize design change of this process.In the first section of the thesis study, description, types of sneakers and factors effect the sneakers design along with branding process and design changes of sneakers, are emphasized. In the second section, by giving information for technically analyzing of sneakers, besides material and technology, the themes take place in sneaker design from 20th century to our day will be quoted by their occurrence reasons. In the last section of the thesis, evaluations on the basis of the situation of sneakers as a modern design object in our day, designers? importance for designing sneakers and product will be carried out. Meanings assigned by users and sport brands to sneakers, which make its usage become widespread in every part of daily life and also the meaning differentiations will take place in this section. At the same time, a survey study is carried out on a slice of the society that we live in and through this study, the factors aimed to determine the choices of female and male individuals to use sneakers are identified and evaluated.