Michael Jackson's Sneaker and Loafer History

The long-awaited Michael Jackson biopic Michael drops in theaters on April 24. Starring Michael’s nephew and Jermaine Jackson’s son Jaafar, it’s a look into the rise of one of the most popular, consequential, and controversial* artists of the 20th century. It’s hard to undersell how huge Michael Jackson was to the culture in the 1980s. From albums to music videos to Pepsi and more, everything he was a part of was instantly iconic. It would not be surprising if the film has a scene where Michael explains why he always wore black pants and black Florsheim loafers with white sequined socks just so people could understand how deeply he thought of his image.

Jackson’s influence in the footwear world is understated since most of the time that we did see him in music videos and concerts, he was just wearing the same pants, socks, and shoes combination. But there were efforts for Jackson to branch out and try to stake his claim in the sneaker business that included the hopes of even surpassing a fellow MJ, filing patents to protect his iconic moves, and inspiring a younger generation with homages. Here’s a look back at Michael Jackson’s attempts to enter the sneaker world, along with his famous footwear moments.

*While the movie is expected to bring in big money as fans of the late singer will come out in support of their hero, the reviews of the film have not been kind to the family-endorsed feature. Critics have praised the production values and Jaafar’s performance as Michael, but they are right to point out that there is no mention of the allegations that haunted Jackson for the rest of his days. How people who go see the movie will reckon with that is up to their own moral compass.

Debuts The Moonwalk in Florsheim Imperial Tassel Loafers (1983)

No, Michael Jackson did not create the Moonwalk. The dance move where the feet and the body appear to be going in different directions dates as far back as the 1930s. There’s even a dispute over who gets to claim that they taught Jackson the move, as Bobby Brown of New Edition and Jeffrey Daniel of Shalamar have said they were the ones to show MJ the backsliding move. Regardless, Jackson performing the Moonwalk during Motown 25 was the game-changing moment where it didn’t matter who taught whom; it was Michael’s move now. It’s like finding out Vince Carter didn’t do the honey dip elbow dunk first (Kobe did), but Carter will always receive credit for being the one to bring it to the masses.

Michael’s footwear of choice was the Florsheim Como loafer. He would switch out to other Florsheim models like the Imperial Tassel or the Berkley Penny Loafer, but he remained with the brand for most of his career because they were his “magic” shoes that he had worn since his early days, and he felt the most comfortable in them.

The Patented Lean Shoe in the “Smooth Criminal” Music Video (1988)

The most iconic shot from the 1988 “Smooth Criminal” video is the image of Michael Jackson and his dancers leaning at a 45-degree angle. If you think that’s no big deal, go ahead and try it right now, and you can come back to this piece after you've gotten back up from falling on your face.

The illusion is in the shoes. Jackson, along with dancers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins designed a slot on the bottom of the shoes that would slide right into a retractable peg on the floor that is not visible to the crowd when they performed the trick live. Anchoring the shoes allowed them to perform the lean without falling over. It still required an extraordinary amount of core strength to pull off smoothly, but that was the easy part after crafting the shoes and the peg. In the abstract for the U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452 filed by Jackson, Bush, and Tompkins, it states, “A system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes which will engage with a hitch member movably projectable through a stage surface.”

Failed LA Gear Partnership (1990)

When LA Gear saw Michael Jackson, it was their chance to latch onto an MJ that could propel them to the same heights that Nike achieved with their own MJ. Already the #3 shoe brand at the time - trailing only Nike and Reebok - LA Gear was looking for its next big thing as the trends were starting to shift away from what made them a success. At the same time, Michael Jackson was exploring the possibility of wearing sneakers for his performances instead of his familiar Florsheim loafers. Jackson would request a two-year deal from L.A. Gear worth $20 million, which at the time would not only be the largest of its kind, but it would also surpass the value of Michael Jordan’s deal with Nike. And if you’re wondering if that number was intentional because one MJ was so competitive that he had to defeat the other MJ despite being in totally different fields, you would be correct.

Unfortunately, neither side would benefit from the partnership. The Billie Jean sneaker that LA Gear created for Jackson failed to meet the changing tastes of the audience and was priced out of the range of parents looking to buy their kids new kicks for back to school. Meanwhile, Jackson was not too interested in actually promoting the products, barely appearing in advertisements, and shifting direction with his music projects that ultimately did not vibe with LA Gear. Lawsuits and countersuits would ensue before an out-of-court settlement would end the saga in 1994.

Michael Jordan Cameos in “Jam” Music Video (1992)

Despite any supposed rivalry between the MJs, in the hierarchy of Michaels as established by that Jay-Z lyric, “I’m liable to go Michael, takes your pick.Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6.” Two-thirds of that legendary line can be found trying to teach each other their respective professions in the music video for “Jam,” the fourth single off the Dangerous album. Filmed in April of 1992, Jordan wore the Air Jordan 7 Bordeaux that he had just debuted a few months ago in the All-Star Game. In the era when your only chance to see new Air Jordans was in advertisements, actual NBA games, and music videos, this was a treat. Jackson stuck to his regular Floresheims, but in between the MJ and MJ shenanigans are kids hooping in Air Force 1s and Nike Air Flights.

Moonwalker Footwear Brand The Never Materialized (2008)

In 2008, it looked like Michael Jackson might have been in the works to return to the sneaker world, but on the total opposite end of the spectrum in comparison to his LA Gear endeavor. According to documents that were a part of Nike’s lawsuit against former designers Denis Dekovic, Mark Miner, and Marc Dolce, Dekovic was in talks with Jackson to start up a luxury footwear brand called Moonwalker. Similar to Jackson’s detached involvement with LA Gear, he would not have been front and center of any Moonwalker marketing. The sneakers would have been priced between $1,000 for the flagship model and $350 for a takedown version. The project was abandoned after his passing in 2009.

Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low Pays Homage to Michael Jackson (or is it Prince?) (2014)

The concept of muses was a big part of the Kobe 9’s design and colorway inspirations. From Pablo Picasso to Tinker Hatfield, Nike took pieces from these muses to create the Perspective colorway and a later release that was inspired by the Black Cement Air Jordan 3. The July 2014 release of the Hyper Grape colorway - the official name - came with a bit of controversy as the sneaker community dubbed them the Moonwalker because of the moonrock graphic on the outsole. Nike never directly namechecks Jackson, but everybody comes to the same conclusion nevertheless*.

*Except for me, because I’m convinced that it’s actually an homage to the Michael Jackson and Prince rivalry. Is the purple on top a reflection of Kobe’s opinion that Prince won the debate? It’s a question we’ll sadly never get the answer to.

The Nike Kyrie 2 That’s Secretly Inspired by the “Rock With You” Music Video (2016)

Ever since his arrival on the big stage of the NBA, Kyrie Irving has earned a reputation for being clever. Depending on who you ask, that cleverness has either endeared him to millions of fans with his amazing highlight package and genuine connection to them or it has frustrated entire leagues, organizations, and teammates with his dips into “just asking questions.”

When you are given the chance to ask Kyrie about his sneakers, he doesn’t just tow the company line that the shoe looks good and feels good and can be worn on and off the court. Nope, he’ll give you a multi-paragraph explanation, even if sometimes the journey feels more interesting than the actual destination.

Here’s a theory I crafted about the Nike Kyrie 2 Green Glow ten years ago: it’s actually a secret Michael Jackson homage. Just like Nike could not directly reference Jackson with the Kobe 9 Elite Moonwalker, they could not say that the Green Glow, aka the Kyrie-Oke, was related to him as well. Kyrie laid the easter egg when they dropped an ad for the sneaker that’s seemingly been scrapped from the internet where Kyrie gets on stage and sings his heart out in front of green lights while wearing one sequined glove. The iconic Rock With You music video features Jackson in a full sequined suit singing in front of green lights that look just like the hue of the Green Glow Kyrie 2. It’s the Pepe Silvia of sneaker conspiracies in that I spent way too much time thinking about this a decade ago.

Thankfully, unlike Pepe, Kyrie himself would confirm this theory a few months later, and it was not just the rantings of a sneaker blogger who needed something to post on that day.

Giuseppe Zanotti’s $15,000 1-of-1 Tribute Sneaker (2018)

On August 29, 2018, there was a Michael Jackson-themed charity event for what would have been his 60th birthday. Luxury designer Giuseppe Zanotti designed a one-of-a-kind tribute sneaker with official Jackson branding that could go up for auction. Valued at $15,000, the white sneaker featured 120 black diamonds, 55 rubies, and 2 large silver buckles and was dubbed the “Number One.” An additional 1,999 pairs - two that were worn by Jackson's kids Paris and Prince - were produced and sold at Zanotti’s store and at Neiman Marcus sans the diamonds, and can now be found on reseller platforms at prices a little more affordable than $15,000.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com