Opening on April 30 at the Design Museum, 'Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street' is a major exhibition exploring one of the most universal design objects, bought and worn by millions of people worldwide every day.
Split into two sections, Style and Performance, the exhibition invites visitors behind the scenes of the footwear phenomenon that has challenged performance design, inspired new youth cultures and shaken the world of fashion. It features sneakers originally designed for specific athletic activities such as the Converse All Star Chuck Taylor, the Puma Disc, and Nike Alpha fly Next%, and their cultural resonance across the globe.
"A footwear staple for style, performance and comfort wear, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street reveals the role young people from diverse backgrounds have played in making individual sneakers into style icons and in driving an industry now worth billions," commented Curator Ligaya Salazar. "The exhibition also gives behind-the-scenes insight into new upcycling and sustainable design practices, unseen prototypes predicting the future of performance design, and streetwear and fashion collaborations that changed the face of the industry."
The exhibition offers a journey through the design process behind some of the most technically inventive shoes of today, including the adidas 'FutureCraft.Strung' shoe-making robot designed by Kram/Weisshaar; Satoshi, a brand using blockchain certification; and the world's first biologically active shoes developed by MIT Design Lab and Biorealize for Puma.
more: designmuseum.org (110)