Sneakers Unboxed: More About the Exhibition

Thousands of new sneaker models in endless colourways are released every year, giving the impression that sneaker design and production is an incredibly rapid process. However, it can take several years to develop a sneaker model from start to finish—from concept, experimentation and testing through to production and launch.

Sport once drove sneaker design, with new sneaker models released at significant events such as the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup. But over the last 40 years, youth culture has increasingly influenced the shape and speed of the industry.

From the power of sneakers to reinforce a sense of belonging and style, to their ability to improve athletic performance, this exhibition highlights the design stories and people behind some of the most culturally and technologically significant sneakers ever made.

State of Play

The sneaker industry is vast. It has grown exponentially over the last two decades and shows no sign of slowing down.

Sneakers: The Global Sneaker Market report from Statista

Much of the industry’s expansion is based on a unique combination of consumer demand and strategic marketing by competing brands. However, there are instances where a sneaker model has risen to prominence mainly thanks to its cultural value. One example of this is the Nike Air Force 1, which is credited with being the sneaker model released in the greatest number of different versions.

Sneaker resale has become an industry in its own right, with online platforms such as StockX achieving record prices and releasing certain models on their platform only. The largest profits are driven by a thirst for exclusivity in a market worth an estimated $6 billion.

Style

Sneaker culture has become ubiquitous thanks largely to the influence of young people from diverse inner-city neighbourhoods. They have been instrumental in elevating sneakers from pure sportswear to sought-after icons of style.

In the 1970s, sneakers were popularised by a number of youth cultures in different parts of the world. Brands, unaware of this demand, only distributed sneakers specifically to be used for sports. Since supply to non-athletes was limited, without realising it brands were fuelling a thirst for exclusivity.

Sneaker brands soon attempted to appeal to young people by introducing endorsements from musicians and sports stars. But it was only when the desire for uniqueness was recognised more widely in the 1990s that a distinct shift in sneaker culture emerged, leading to some of the earliest limited editions and collaborations between sports brands and fashion designers.

Aided by high-profile partnerships and the growing dominance of the internet, sneakers have seen an unprecedented growth in popularity over the last decade. Now, more than ever, they are a platform for experimental design.

Run-DMC and Adidas

Hip hop group Run-DMC became the first non-sports stars to secure an endorsement deal with a sportswear brand. Their iconic look, of unlaced Adidas Superstars with the tongue pushed out, encapsulated a long-popular New York style. Adidas shoes were expensive and, because of distribution and manufacturing delays in the 1970s, only available to professional athletes. This initial scarcity made the Superstar one of the most coveted models in 1980s New York. The success of Run-DMC’s 1986 album Raising Hell—and the song ‘My Adidas’—prompted the Adidas marketing team to sign a million-dollar deal with the group.

Air Jordan 

In 1984, Nike signed a deal with Michael Jordan, at that time a rookie basketball player with the Chicago Bulls. For the first time, the brand created a shoe specifically for one athlete: the Jordan I. The success of this shoe led to further models, eventually evolving into Nike’s only offshoot stand-alone brand in 1997. Clever advertising campaigns by the agency Wieden+Kennedy shaped the way the brand was positioned. For a series of adverts, Jordan was partnered with the film director Spike Lee, in his role as Mars Blackmon, Lee's Jordan-obsessed alter ego from his 1986 film She’s Gotta Have It. To date, the Jordan brand has released thirty-seven sneaker models.

Reebok Classic

The leather Reebok Classic is a simple design based on 1980s running shoes but intended for casual wear. The Classic was an antidote to more extravagant, technical or expensive shoes on the market. Over the years, it has been produced in numerous colourways but the plain white and black versions remain the most popular. It is one of Reebok’s bestselling shoes, especially in the UK, where it has been popular with a wide range of youth cultures.

The collector’s mind

Sneaker collectors are both gatekeepers and historians of sports shoes and the cultures that surround them. Driven by a desire to own every version of specific models, a special make-up (SMU) that no one else they know owns, or an obsession with a specific brand, collectors have long played an important role in the development of the sneaker industry. Rarity and uniqueness are particularly important to collectors, whether this means locating a special pair of deadstock sneakers in the back room of a small-town sports store or negotiating with peers on early internet forums such as NikeTalk or Dead Shoe Scrolls.

Early fashion collaborations

Tokyo is where some of the earliest and longest-running fashion and sports shoe collaborations were established. Designer Junya Watanabe, of Comme des Garçons, and Nike released their first collaboration shoe, the Nike Zoom Haven, in 1999. The Puma by Miharayasuhiro line started in 2000, and in 2002 Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas premiered their collaborative Y-3 brand.

For Love or Money

For Love or Money is one of the rarest and most valuable sneaker collaborations. It was created in 2005 by Nike’s Skateboarding division (Nike SB) and graffiti artist Futura 2000. The same year, an unruly queue in New York for a different Nike SB collaboration – with Reed Space – was dubbed a ‘Sneaker Riot’. Brands had recognised the interest in rarity and, by limiting the run of a particular model, manufactured exclusivity and increased desire. By teaming up with small independent retailers with their own dedicated following, they intensified the frenzy over certain sneakers and saw a sharp increase in resale value.

Icons creating icons

Collaborations with high-profile figures from the worlds of music, sport and art to create sneaker exclusives, either by reimagining iconic silhouettes or designing their own lines, have had a significant impact on the value of sneakers. The combination of celebrity cachet and widespread desire for exclusive products has resulted in a reverence and market for such collaborations that is akin to the luxury goods sector. As sales and raffles for limited editions moved online, bespoke resale platforms were established from 2016, conducting billion-dollar volumes of trade around the globe.

Performance

Most sports shoes that we now think of as innovative or ground-breaking arose from a need to meet a core set of interconnected design concerns. Factors such as traction, fit, stability, cushioning and energy return can help to improve athletic performance. These concerns are continually revisited by designers, as brands engage with new technologies and emerging research in sports science, in a quest to make their shoes technically the best.

The most urgent issue facing designers and consumers today is sustainability. Innovation in materials, experimental manufacturing techniques and increased transparency in supply chains are some of the ways in which brands are tackling the environmental impact and human cost of sneaker production. Designers and customisers are also developing more sustainable methods by extending the lifespan of sneakers through upcycling, remaking and refurbishing.

Traction

Traction, or grip, is perhaps the starting point in sneaker history. Vulcanised rubber soles gave sneakers their name, as you could ‘sneak’ around quietly in them. Made from a by-product of the rubber industry, many early sneakers were produced by tyre companies, such as Goodyear or Dunlop. The effectiveness of traction is still an important part of the design process. This requires balancing the surface type and ratio of the sole, and its pattern and composition, to create models that meet the physical demands of specific sports.

Object Highlights

Sustainability and Circular Design

Sneaker production is exceptionally carbon-intensive. A typical pair of running shoes generates approximately 13.6kg of CO2 emissions. Most sneakers consist of problematic materials, including synthetic rubber and plastic, which are created using energy-intensive processes and bound together using glues that are harmful to the environment. The scale of sneaker production is growing, with millions of pairs ending in landfill and taking decades to degrade. There is a multitude of promising projects underway to address these issues, including innovation in materials and manufacturing, a concerted effort to repair and recycle, and a greater understanding of circular design.

Materials and Manufacturing Innovation

Designing out waste and pollution, and keeping products and materials in use, are two key principles of circular design. Using biodegradable materials in the production process and developing less harmful alternatives, such as animal-free leathers, are some of the more sustainable choices sneaker brands are making. Younger brands entering the industry pride themselves on transparent supply chains and more ethical working practices. Some of the ways in which brands are tackling inherent flaws in their manufacturing practices include designing modular systems, where elements of a shoe can be easily replaced, reducing the steps in the production process, the use of glues, and excessive travel and transport.

Repair, Remake, Create

Caring for and preserving sneakers in their best condition has long been an important part of sneaker culture. Services such as customisation, re-dying and remaking are growing in number and popularity, and breathing new life into old sneakers has become important for many designers and makers. Consumers can play a part in circular design, long after a shoe has been produced and worn. Efforts are also being made to create a more equitable future for the sneaker design industry, by ensuring that more diverse voices and interdisciplinary design practices are included in the process.