Sneaker Wars

“Where was SNEAKER WARS when I was doing research for my own book! This book is great for understanding the ins and out of the industry, particularly for the two brands we used to call ‘the Germans’ back in the day.” - Bobbito Garcia, author of Where’d You Get Those? New York City’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987“Smit brings a keen reporter’s eye to the schism between Puma and Adidas. The book also ably tells the broader story of the red-hot global sneaker trade.” - Conde Nast Portfolio“First-class piece of investigative reporting… enthralling narrative tale… invaluable contribution to our understanding of shoes, sports, corruption.” - David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero“An immensely readable romp through the history of Adidas, and thus also the story of international sport’s politics and the commercial colonization of events.” - The Independent“Barbara Smit deserves high praise.” - Sunday Telegraph“As a history of how so much of the world came to be shod in running shoes, SNEAKER WARS is a book you’ll read at a sprint. Drawing from dozens of interviews and stacks of documents, Ms. Smit reconstructs an anecdote-rich history of competition, commercialism and corruption.” - Wall Street Journal“What does David Beckham’s superstardom have to do with a pair of warring Bavarian brothers in the early 1900s? More than you think, according to this compelling book.” - Time Magazine

Barbara Smit has written for The Financial Times (London), The International Herald Tribune, The Economist, and Time, among other publications. She lives in France.