New modes of making and innovations in materials are inspiring shoe designers to challenge what shoes can look and feel like. This book explores today s most futuristic footwear designs, from the use of new technologies such as 3-D printing and smart technology to the invention of sustainable materials, including leather made from mushrooms and soles made from reclaimed ocean plastics. It also examines footwear design in the virtual world where adherence to things like comfort and gravity are no longer part of the equation. The importance of sneakers in games such as Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite are explored as is the new enthusiasm for collectable non-fungible token (NFT) sneakers that are being acquired for tens of thousands of dollars for a single pair. In-depth interviews with of-the-moment designers, including Iris van Herpen, the team at RTFKT, Steven Smith, Eric Avar, Alexander Taylor, and more, all conducted by the author, dive deep into the creative process, influences, and the future of shoe design. The introduction offers an overview of great footwear innovations from the past that have kept us a step ahead.

Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture showcases breakthrough sneaker's from the mid-nineteenth century for sports performance to present day cultural icon. Drawn from collections including Adidas, Nike, Reebok, PUMA, and Converse archives, as well as private collectors such as those of hip-hop legend Run DMC, sneaker guru Bobbito Garcia, and Dee Wells of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder. This selection is richly contextualized with interviews and essays by design innovators, sneaker collectors, and cultural historians, creating a backdrop of the technical innovation, fashion trends, social history, and marketing campaigns that shaped the form over the past two centuries. Out of the Box includes iconic sneakers ranging from an 1860 spiked running shoe, the replica track shoes worn by Olympian Jesse Owens in Converse in 1936, the Air Jordan series, and the original Air Force 1 and early Adidas Superstars to contemporary examples designed by such prominent figures as Damien Hirst, Christian Louboutin, and Kanye West, making this the definitive illustrated history of sneaker culture

The Bata Shoe Museum is located in Toronto, Canada, in a gem of a building designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama. Since its opening in 1995, the museum has welcomed more than two million visitors to more than forty exhibitions. It is also renowned for its ground-breaking research and is consistently celebrated as one of the top fashion museums in the world.

A celebration of the great sneaker collaborations that have reimagined the shoe, elevating this most practical of footwear into the realm of wearable art. The ubiquitous sneaker is the canvas upon which so many defiers of convention--artists, musicians, athletes, and celebrities--have sought to make their mark and through the sneaker contribute to a unique identity and attitude among sneakerheads everywhere. Collected here are the best sneaker collaborations with the biggest makers--Adidas, Converse, Nike, Puma, Reebok--featuring nearly one hundred famous, infamous, and lesser-known partnerships. Museum-quality studio photographs of each sneaker are accompanied by visuals collected from the archives of sneaker makers, as well as ephemera such as design sketches and drawings illustrating the creative process. Author Elizabeth Semmelhack has conducted interviews with many collaborators, including an extensive Q&A with Chris Hill, design manager of Reebok, who has worked with Pyer Moss, Cam'ron, and many others. In her introduction, Semmelhack explores the history of collaborations, starting at the beginning with Jack Purcell, whose sneakers remain virtually unchanged today. More than eighty sneaker collaborations are featured, including Virgil Abloh (ten styles!), KAWS, Pharrell Williams, Bobbito Garcia, Damien Hirst, Jeremy Scott, Eminem, Supreme, Chanel, Missoni, Rihanna, Missy Elliott, Dr. Woo, and Fear of God.

The Bata Shoe Museum, the largest shoe collection in the world, celebrates fabulous footwear across the ages in beautifully curated displays, exhibiting styles from tiny Chinese bound-foot shoes to French chestnut-crushing clogs and Elton John's over-the-top silver platform boots. The collection has become a source of inspiration for designers, including Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Nicholas Kirkwood, and Sophia Webster, among others. Many of the shoes are as relevant today as when they were created: anyone who has worn flip-flops will recognize ancient Egyptian sandals, and men's thigh-high boots from seventeenth-century France are virtually identical to those worn by women today. High-fashion styles by famed designers such as Ferragamo and Vivienne Westwood are always a draw, but one of the collection's most popular features is its celebrity footwear, including Queen Victoria's ballroom slippers, Elvis Presley's blue patent loafers, and John Lennon's Beatle boot. The 100 iconic shoes featured in the volume tell the story of humanity, revealing ways of life and entire civilizations through its shoes.