I'm not really good with the 'mens' vs. 'womens' vs. 'unisex' sneakers argument that I know a lot of folks get really passionate about...IMO, again, they're just shoes. Do I think it's lame when dudes buy out womens releases? Meh. Maybe. I don't know. I suppose the details matter. But I don't really pay attention. Shoes are shoes.
I've never been one to care about which shoes 'belong' to which group. The first pair of womens shoes that I knowingly purchased (from an @officialeastbay catalog) was a pair of basketball shoes in, probably, 1999 or 2000. I bought them because they were $19.99 and I was dead broke. And I liked the way they looked, especially at $20. White and black hoop shoes for $20 while I was a broke college kid? Sold.
Sizing was a bit off, so I didn't end up wearing them much, and a couple of my friends used to give me shit about them, especially out on the court, but I didn't care. I eventually traded them for a pretty beat pair of Penny II's, which was also a winner for me, and that was that.
In 2003 or so, I met my (future) wife. And she's a couple inches taller than me. AND. We wear the same size shoes. So...early on, I used to pull a Homer - I'd buy shoes 'for her' knowing damn well that I'd end up wearing them when she got tired of them. So...she got gifted plenty pairs of dunks and air maxes the first few years of our relationship, which were eventually passed on to me. Womens pairs, men's pairs, unisex pairs.
I don't actively seek out either...I actively seek out shoes that I like. What do y'all think about the supposed 'controversy' about men buying out womens releases?