When the Wall fell, popular culture rose to a new level of social relevance. Wind of Change? More like a tsunami! The Nineties washed over the increasingly globalized media landscape in a tidal wave of catchy tunes, cult movies, TV series and show stars. FACES rolls up the decade – and publishes an encyclopedia on the age of grunge, girl groups, GZSZ and Buffalo shoes.
To start with, she imports cowboy boots. But in the blink of an eye, a Cologne-based company dresses the feet of an army of Buffalo soldiers – with platform sneakers. Why do we think that’s awful? An attempt at an explanation.
No, the worst thing is neither the design (10 cm monster sole with a sneaker glued to it) nor the low three-figure sum that fashion-conscious teenagers spend from their pocket money and swap for a pair of monster boots at Buffalo stores popping up in Prime locations.
We also don’t want to mock the Spice Girls or techno titan Sven Väth, who are jumping on the trend – or rather giving it a boost in the first place. Or about the fashionable combination. The unisex classic goes like this: elephant leg trousers/men’s skirt, tight tank top, optional tribal tattoo on the upper arm, the chunky silver chain around the neck and the signature haircut aka “flower pot hairstyle” on top. All dressed up and buzzed on alcopops, the ravers wave their arms to trance beatboards in strobe lights.
No, the real horror of the brand, which has been importing leather boots from the USA to Germany since 1979: The Buffalos are coming back, heck, they’re already here. And why is nobody doing anything about it?
