Edited with introduction by Alex Powis. Foreword by Tim Marlow, Ligaya Salazar.
Today's leading designers on the creation and the future of sneakers worldwide
This is the first book to gather leading designers, creators and industry insiders to reflect on sneaker design and its groundbreaking impact on popular culture. Contributors provide insights into the evolution of sneakers from sportswear to style icons, the processes and people involved in sneaker design and its global future. Through conversations with the people directly involved in the creation of sneakers, it speaks to the next generation of sneaker designers and wearers by asking: who are the people involved in the design of a sneaker? How do their roles and approaches differ? How does their individual work contribute to the collective effort of making a sneaker? What will the future of sneaker design be? Richly illustrated, Sneakers Unboxed includes iconic sneakers, drawings, sketches and prototypes, as well as glimpses into the manufacturing process. Across three chapters—Style and Culture, People and Processes, Innovation and the Future—the approaches and experience of industry leaders unfold the past, present and future of sneakers as style icons and cultural facilitators. Contributors turn to the next generation of designers, providing a manifesto to move the industry toward a more positive direction for both the people and the planet. Designers include: Alexander Taylor, Andrea Nieto, Asha Harper, Ben Cottrell, Benjamin Grenet, Carly McKenzie, Charlotte Lee, Chris Hill, Chris Law, Chris Severn, Daniel Taylor, David Raysse, Franck Boistel, Helen Kirkum, Jacques Chassaing, Jean Khalifé, Jean-Philippe Lalonde, Joe Foster, Juliana Sagat, Kirsten Schambra, Marina Chedel, Matthew Dainty, Muriel Jung, Nic Galway, Nicole McLaughlin, Peter Fogg, Peter Moore, Rian Pozzebon, Romain Girard, Ryan Forsyth, Sam Handy, Samuel Pearce, Samuel Ross, Sara Jaramillo, Stephanie Howard, Steve McDonald, Steven Smith, Susi Proudman, Till Jagla, Tom Astrella and Tuan Le.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Sneakers Unboxed'.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Highsnobiety
Sarah Osei
While there's no question that the exhibition has the clear goal of attracting younger audiences, it still feels very necessary. Once the symbol of athleticism, sneakers have long transcended their primary function to become fashion items – and even art at times. If anything, recent years have proven just how much of a hot asset sneakers are for investors.
Guardian
Oliver Wainwright
Charts how particular brands and styles were adopted and developed by different subcultures around the world, from Tokyo to Cape Town, becoming the unofficial uniforms of specific tribes.
CNN: Style
Megan C. Hills
Sneakers that speak to the culture...
Square Mile
Mark Hedley
The history of the sneaker is a reflection of cultural, societal and technological change. By looking at, recording and analysing this history, much can be anticipated of the future of the industry.
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Featured spreads are from Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street, published to accompany the critically-acclaimed exhibition on view now at The Design Museum, London. Built around detailed conversations with people directly involved in the creation of sneakers, Sneakers Unboxed is a beautifully produced object itself, richly illustrated with iconic sneakers, drawings, sketches and prototypes, as well as glimpses into the manufacturing process. Editor Alex Powis writes, "Footwear has long been attached to societal constructs and cultural movements, ever-shifting in its coded meaning and relevance to humanity. At its most basic, footwear is a functional item built to serve a purpose. But place it within society and it becomes a symbol of cultural tribalism, outwardly telling the world what you do or do not represent. Sneakers in particular have condensed these tropes—and our relationship with footwear—and put them into hyperdrive. Operating for decades at the cutting edge of technology, sports performance and culture, the sneaker industry acts as an innovator and a facilitator for human achievement and progression. Whether it’s enabling us to run faster, to manufacture in ways we hadn’t imagined, or, more recently, to consume like never before. Like any good sneaker design, this book has been created with a functional purpose. The world does not require more books rehashing the same stories of iconic sneakers from the past, nor does it need one that overly aggrandizes a small list of familiar sneaker designers. We've experienced that enough in the past, which has in turn contributed to creating a skewed view of an industry built by a few heroic pioneers. Like most things in life, the truth is more complex. Those pioneers, as visionary as they were, did not act alone. The success of any sneaker at any moment in time is thanks to a multitude of often unnamed team members and collaborators, engineers and manufacturers. This book reveals the collaborative effort of the sneaker industry in depth, for the first time. No person is an island; no sneaker is created solely by its designer." continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 5.75 x 8.25 in. / 196 pgs / 100 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $29.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $39.95 ISBN: 9781872005539 PUBLISHER: The Design Museum AVAILABLE: 8/10/2021 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Published by The Design Museum. Edited with introduction by Alex Powis. Foreword by Tim Marlow, Ligaya Salazar.
Today's leading designers on the creation and the future of sneakers worldwide
This is the first book to gather leading designers, creators and industry insiders to reflect on sneaker design and its groundbreaking impact on popular culture. Contributors provide insights into the evolution of sneakers from sportswear to style icons, the processes and people involved in sneaker design and its global future. Through conversations with the people directly involved in the creation of sneakers, it speaks to the next generation of sneaker designers and wearers by asking: who are the people involved in the design of a sneaker? How do their roles and approaches differ? How does their individual work contribute to the collective effort of making a sneaker? What will the future of sneaker design be?
Richly illustrated, Sneakers Unboxed includes iconic sneakers, drawings, sketches and prototypes, as well as glimpses into the manufacturing process. Across three chapters—Style and Culture, People and Processes, Innovation and the Future—the approaches and experience of industry leaders unfold the past, present and future of sneakers as style icons and cultural facilitators. Contributors turn to the next generation of designers, providing a manifesto to move the industry toward a more positive direction for both the people and the planet.
Designers include: Alexander Taylor, Andrea Nieto, Asha Harper, Ben Cottrell, Benjamin Grenet, Carly McKenzie, Charlotte Lee, Chris Hill, Chris Law, Chris Severn, Daniel Taylor, David Raysse, Franck Boistel, Helen Kirkum, Jacques Chassaing, Jean Khalifé, Jean-Philippe Lalonde, Joe Foster, Juliana Sagat, Kirsten Schambra, Marina Chedel, Matthew Dainty, Muriel Jung, Nic Galway, Nicole McLaughlin, Peter Fogg, Peter Moore, Rian Pozzebon, Romain Girard, Ryan Forsyth, Sam Handy, Samuel Pearce, Samuel Ross, Sara Jaramillo, Stephanie Howard, Steve McDonald, Steven Smith, Susi Proudman, Till Jagla, Tom Astrella and Tuan Le.
