Sneakers That Lighten Up Your Way Literally

light up sneakers

Sneakers have been gaining attention like never before. While the heels are coming down from the platform height and hit the ground, the sneakers have made their way to Chanel Haute Couture. Karl Lagerfeld gave every brides-to-be a seal of approval if they want to wear sneakers on their weddings. Many have taken the inspiration and sporting around in their offices, at the parties and in the gym.

As if the lace, embroidery, sequin and rhinestone decorated sneakers are not enough, technology has taken it to the next level by lighting up the shoes with LED lights placed inside the rubber sole.

light-sneakers - all-colors

These Christmasy sneakers are designed with tennis shoe upper in white leather and pig hide lined inside. Semi-clear thick molded rubber sole at the bottom is the place where LED lights are hidden.

An USB battery charger is built inside the upper and covered by the tongue of the sneakers when it is not in use. A small switch is placed next to the charger to switch on and off the lights.

The producers claim that the lights can be on for about 9 to 12 hours per battery charge, and the sole is shockproof as well as waterproof.

light up LED sneakers

For a night jogger like me, it’s not only a fashion statement, but also functional. These glowing in the dark lights work like a charm to help the joggers stand out against the background and get noticed by the drivers for their own safety.

So how it’s made? Intrigued by the idea and with the ambition of light up some high heels some day, we had a chance to take a look at how it’s built inside the sole, where you can find the key components of LED lights.

We also studied the quality differences of the cheap and expensive versions of these light up sneakers while we are at it.

Both cheap and expensive versions are built out of the same principle: place the LED lights and battery inside the sole and wire them to the switch and USB charger.

The outersole is about 3 cm thick, which got enough space for both LED lights and battery. Since the sole is semi-transparent, the lights are shining through the sole once they are switched on.

light-up-sneaker-inside-sole

Well, the structure looks very simple. But the quality lies in the details, which decides how long the lights in your shoes would work. Let’s face it, without the lights, they are just regular sneakers, nothing special.

The outersole is molded rubber for both cheap and expensive version. But the expensive ones are much softer and flexible compared to the cheap version sole, which chip off easily.

The good quality soles also molded with the structure for positioning the lights and batteries. Cheaper version soles are plain made without any seats prepared for the lights and batteries.

sole-quality-difference

The LED lights are also different for various quality standards. The good quality lights are wrapped with silica, which is a protection layer to make sure the light itself is waterproof and durable.

The bad quality lights are unprotected, including the wires between the lights. The naked lights are stuck on a piece of Styrofoam, shaped like a sock. Since the cheap version soles have no structured molded for the lights and batteries, the Syrofoam is functioning as a place holder for the lights, which is not only put the waterproof in question but also not durable.

All in all, you get what you paid for.

light up sneakersIf couture shows are any things to go by, we shall not be surprised to see the sneakers on the red carpet some day. Now besides the jewels and lace, you can also choose to grab the attention by lightening up your sneakers when stepping out for a night, paired with the right crop pants, shorts or skirts. SHOP NOW

white-sneaker-styling

 

light up sneakers