Ahem, the title to this reply might be a little over enthusiastic but I'm just getting over a huge hit of nostalgia that the Kickers evokes. There were very trendy in my neck of the north-west in my 4th year (year ten), I haven't thought about them for years but the word just conjures up the green pair proudly owned by one of the cool kids in school. I remember it was most important to not take the label off and also that I wasn't allowed a pair, had to settle for doc martins instead which were somehow far more acceptable to my parents.

When I was fifteen in the fourth year at school, we were blessed with almost a perfect storm for young adolescent males.

My year was the first of a new co-ed school, but fortunately for us we also shared the building with the final all girls year above us.

Every time we turned a corner there were beautiful young things keen on speaking to the young boys which represented just 25% of the school pupils.

We had everything in our favour - we were tall which was good - made us look older, we all played sports (football, rugby, cricket) - which gave us unhealthy levels of testosterone and we were also very interested in the opposite sex.

Fashion-wise we were very up-to-speed - we shopped in nearby Brighton and had the button-down shirts, pringle jumpers, Farah trousers and shoes with the clicking blakies on the bottom.

But then Adam Houlgate arrived one day with a wetlook perm and bright yellow pair of Kickers and that changed everything.

Soon after we all had them - mine were a bright red pair of Kickers which my mother had bought overseas - not available in the UK as I told anyone who would listen.

We used to strut around the school looking a million bucks. We put the top half of our hands just in the top half of our pockets and would put on this wiggle especially near the fifth year girls block.

Then night followed day and off we went to Tenerife, to Mrs T's disco and came back wearing espradills and mutlicoloured t-shirts. My Kickers went back in the closet never to see the light of day again.

Are we now ready for a revival?

Spidernix 2008

As night followed day,

The problem (for me) is that Kickers did a Burberry, circa the early 90s, and were adopted by the lager swilling, Loaded reading masses and that's not a look I could happily kick (sorry!) That's not to say that they can't reclaim their cool - but I'd suggest that they might want to be pushing out to Shoreditch trendies and going for that retro buzz. IMO anyway.

I was a converse girl ;o) but that might have been due to the nearby factory that meant we could get seconds pretty cheap.
Not sure I ever had a pair of Kickers. or was even much aware of their existence.
Sketchers and Doc M's yes.
For you I'll go have a look and see if I can get me a pair next pay day.
Thanks

and I was in Guides and my friend Maria had a pair of genunine Kickers (she always seemed to be the first with anything - Tiny Tears, Levi's, Kickers). I, on the other hand, had a lookey-likey pair of brown lace-ups from Freeman Hardy & Willis.

Tukka boots (soft suede ankle/pixie style) took over for the coolness factor by 1982 (I didn't have a pair of those either much to my chagrin) and then it was all about Doc Martens in 85 onwards. And I did have a pair of black patent leather Doc boots which I loved and wore out eventually.

I've noticed Kickers comeback which is interesting... but I'm holding out for Tukka boots to reappear.

Somehow I managed to miss out on Kickers...I went from the original Reebok BasketBall boots with the pump which broke after about a day to DMs for a long time, then skate shoes (Etnies were my brand) and then to Onitsuka Tigers via Adidas and Gola.

But I do seem to remember one of my cousins constantly wearing them during some of our teenage mishaps - including a memorable trip to Center Parcs, spent constantly listening to 'Up To Our Hips'.

Sadly, it's probably unwise from a legal perspective to publicly reveal some of the things we got up to - especially as I was meant to be the one looking after him.

Looking at all these comments, and the different associations made with different shoes, I thought it might be interesting to reveal our respective ages/shoe ternds.

I'll start - 33 (born 75:

14-18 - Dr Martens/Airwalk
18-21 - Biker boots/Puma Suede/Adidas Gazelle
21+ - too many to mention, but lots of Royal Elastics & Vans

Kickers? They were a brief thing at about 19....

I'm 39 born 69.

I wasn't completely honest I wore kickers during two periods.

11-14 ish, this was the early 80s when far out people with mad hair wore them, much like Spindernix pointed out I guess.

I also then re-wore them from about 18-23, which was the post above.

so.

11-14 Kickers went well with skateboarding from my town for some reason.
14-18 All sorts of things here, I was into break-dancing and typically wore trainers, suede.
18-23 as above, Kickers again (kind of like a re-visit), along with heavy on the suede, usually black.

To be honest I do not remember the "chav association" thing at all, completely off my radar, had I not been told I would be none the wiser about that.

I guess like most fashion would only take a well known celeb with good product placement and they'd be in the pages of Heat. - Cheryl Cole maybe?

just to add, there was definitely a period I remember around 85 or so when kickers were soccer hooligan/casual footwear of choice. alongside adidas stan smiths as an alternative.

I was born in 1978 - I'm really sorry, it may just be an age thing - but Kickers just weren't ever *cool* when I was growing up...

Maybe I was too young, or just never cool myself!

I do remember some kids at my school wearing them, but we used to mercilessly ridicule them for wearing them.

As I recall it was because of the different coloured 'kickers tabs' on the shoes - I think the left shoe has a red tab and the right shoe has a green tab (or it could be the other way round). Anyway we used to say the tabs were there so it was easier to identify the right from the left shoe - and hence which shoe to put on which foot. (The obvious insinuation being that the kid wearing the shoes was... erm challenged somewhat intellectually).

Does anyone else remember this?

Ok been checking out the website .. http://www.kickers.co.uk/ and to be honest I can see why I wouldn't wear/have worn any of these if the styles haven't changed.

They aren't very sexy - but that has been my problem over the last 10 years or so. I love my pointy shoes - and they just stopped making them, unless you had riduculous sky high heels to go with them.
I always found rounded toes so unsexy - except these big Goth boots that I can threaten to squish people with he heh.
The new style Kickers - more trainer/pump styles are great if you want a trainer to mess about in I like those but the more formal are rather boring, - they are practical and boring a la Hush puppies.
I need comfortable smart looking shoes for work but I couldn't get away with the trainers.

Does anyone have pics of the old Kickers they used to wear?

What an ace story, if marketing is about telling stories you did a good job there!

Kickers coming back, not sure, but they are on my radar again and I'm having fun.

There is no doubt in saying that the Kickers were the tough old rugged footwear that people on the fringes wore, not the every day good boys so to speak. I love to wear them due to their unique features. thanks....

I'm a product of the 80's and I cannot tell you how much I used to myther my mum for a pair of Kickers or Pod sandles (can't believe they've not been mentioned yet)...I mythered her for years to no avail, as I did for Lacoste shirts and the like....but my Mum was shrewd with kids clothes, how much they cost and how long they lasted - so I never got my Kickers. I remember she bought me a Lyle & Scott jumper off the market....and a pair of Puma trainers from JD sports, and these were the only two times she relented and allowed me named brands. I cherished both and wore them till they fell off. This is all why I'm now 38 and dress like I wanted to in 1987....so I wear Kickers Kick Hi boots, in navy blue and even bought extra coloured leather 'fleurettes' from the Kickers website to put on them. I have a wardrobe of deadstock Sergio Tacchini, Fila, Pringle, Lacoste, Lois cords....all of which I hoard and wear with pride. I look like a 80's casual hooligan throwback....but I carry it well. LOL :)

I haven't lived in that era, i mean was born just in 86', but those look like cool shoes i mean, can you still find them today, does any company make these anymore?

Oh yes indeed they are still available. They were only available in modern designs till just a few years back when they re-introduced the actual original 1975 design called 'Kick Hi', which is the famous boot, to much delight of the people who grew up in the 70's/80's. Since then, the youths versions of Kick Hi have done spectacularly well....so a whole new legion of fans are growing up loving them.

I read earlier that they're about to re-introduce to the USA market for the first time in many years.....first through middle-high-end online retailers like Nordstrom and Zappos, as well as high-end street stores, with a long term design on opening their own brand stores - they've already based themselves in New York for the task. The range for 2010/2011 for the US market is already being designed. I predict they will be hugely popular there. At first they're apparently going to concentrate on the youth/toddler market (baby Kickers are huge in Europe), which has always been the Kickers way. That is how you fall in love with their shoes/boots you see...you wear them as a child and then carry the fondness through life. In fact the whole thing about red tab for left shoe, green for right, a trademark of theirs, was actually a learning aid for kids....and the whole moccasin styling of Kick Hi gives them an almost immature look on adult feet, but in a fun way...if you know what I mean.

I love them too much.....I will wear them when I'm grey (not that far away already). LOL :)

Hi i am a second year student in a fashion promotion course and we are doing a live project with Kickers. We have to find a trendsetter give them a pair of the kick hi boot and track the trend, they want us to raise the profile of the boots and the comments on this page are really interesting!!!!!!

Hi, I am also doing the same project as mentioned above by rosieribbons... just wondered what kind of sub-cultures any of you thought were/are associated with Kickers Kick Hi Boot...past and present!
Do you think Kickers will make a come back?
Thanks!
Jo.T

Well, would only take a mainstream celeb to sport a pair and they'd be all over the place again, right?

I worked in a shoe shop part time for years. When I started in 1990, Kickers were experiencing a huge resurgence as a result of the "Madchester" baggy trend. I remembered them being worn by friends' older, cooler siblings about 8 years before that. By the 90s they progressed from the bog standard boot and I had an ace pair of purple and pink sandals. Sound horrible, but were the total business, when teamed with a Stone Roses t-shirt. They stayed pretty popular around Glasgow for a few years - we sold loads of them until about 1994 when Adidas Gazelles and Puma States took over.

And I bought a pair of tukka boots today. They're back! Just hope I can still pull them off (not literally, am not quite that old).