British Knights Sneakers

British Knights sneakers were the shoes to have in the early 1990’s. No matter if you were part of the New York City hip hop scene or a Midwestern teenager, chances are you owned a pair of British Knights kicks. These sneakers were seen all over MTV. They were given away as prizes on popular Nickelodeon game shows. MC Hammer did commercial spots for them at the peak of his career. Anyone who was anyone had a pair of British Knights. Unfortunately, this also meant that members of the notorious Crypts gang also starting sporting them and the shoe was banned from many schools in an effort to curb gang violence. 

Today, British Knights are still a steady presence in the shoe industry. They are primarily sold in the United Kingdom these days, but you can find a few pairs being sold through Dr. Jay’s website in the United States. These new shoes aren’t as distinctive as the original British Knights sneakers, but they still have the chunky look that was found on the original sneakers. 

Original British Knights sneakers could be identified by a low profile, puffy upper, and wide, chunky sole. The closest thing that resembles them on the market today are Vans sneakers. The tongue of BK sneakers is also quite wide; it takes up almost the entire top of the shoe. The proper way to wear British Knights was to keep the laces loose and untied and puff the tongue up. British Knights sneakers can also be recognized by the BK symbol emblazoned on the toe and heel of the shoe. They also had a small green air cushion inserted into the heel and visible through a clear plastic window. This technology was BK’s answer to Air Jordans and Rebook Pumps. 

British Knights still releases many shoes in its original style, but has also expanded to include some hiking shoes and some truly unique Ultra shoes. These shoes combine suede and rubber in bright pink, blue, and green monochromatic designs. Rather than the standard BK, British Knights is written out in full across the heel of the shoe. Even today, British Knights sneakers strive to be a fashion statement.