In recent years the sneaker scene has exploded with limited editions and artist/designer collaborations. These specialist shoes are invariably produced as short runs, using innovative or luxury materials and often have bespoke packaging.
Art & Soul is the first book to focus exclusively on contemporary, cutting-edge sneaker design. It sets out to explore and to celebrate the creative side of sneaker culture, showing the best and most original rarities/collaborations and previewing the latest art and design. These are the shoes at the sharp end of sneaker culture—not shoes that can be found in your average sports store.
The book also highlights how creative advances on-the-scene have been furthered by a growing number of artists who base their work on sneakers—from sculptures made from dissected shoes, to oil paintings on canvas, and even the customization of the shoes themselves. There is now a huge crossover between sneaker culture and the worlds of art and design.
The book was researched, written and designed by ex-CR art director, Nathan Gale, now of Intercity. So Creative Review asked him about the project:
“CR: What is it about sneakers that designers just can’t resist?
NG: Trainers are fetishised by many – they can be beautiful objects that reference many elements of design, plus you can wear them. Collecting also seems to be part of most designers’ psyche, so trainers and designers have obvious links.
CR: What are the roots of the collaborations between artists and sneaker brands?
NG: Art and trainers have almost always gone hand in hand, from the early days of hip-hop when graffiti and sneakers were equally part of the culture, to skaters customising their shoes. It was only a matter of time before manufacturers picked up on this and started working with artists. I think the turn of the 21st century saw the biggest development in the phenomenon. The first instance I remember was the Gravis Artist Footbed project in 2001 (a collaboration between the Gravis brand and urban art stars Stash, Futura 2000, ssur, Kostas Seremetis and Phil Frost) and from there things seem to have exploded.
CR: What do brands get out of such collaborations?
NG: Credibility. Often these collaborations are produced in very short runs and are created not only to boost sales but also to maintain the ever-important connection with the manufacturers and their target market. Working with artists and limiting quantity is a way for a brand to prove its credentials.
CR: Is it now more important for sports brands to be fashionable or to be functional?
NG: Fashion is a huge part of any sports brand’s agenda. You’ve only got to look at the majority of trainers on the market (or in Art & Sole) to see that they are retro releases of older shoe models – Nike has even coined the term ‘sports culture’ for this type of shoe. Unfortunately too many manufacturers seem fixated on the past, meaning not enough new models are being released. Trainers are, of course, athletic shoes, and it’s the manufacturers’ pursuit of performance that can dictate a shoe’s appearance, constantly leading to new and exciting avenues. This search is what drives the evolution of trainers; incorporating the newest technologies and materials to create the ultimate in performance. All trainer incarnations, including fashion-based shoes, relate to this.
CR: What is your personal favourite artist/sneaker collaboration?
NG: That’s a tough one…. I suppose for me any collaboration that pushes the design of the shoe as well as just the colourway holds special interest. Tom Luedecke’s Nike Talaria Chukka is a great example [shown opposite, bottom right]. In terms of artwork, I have a canvas of a Nike Air Max 1 (Albert Heijn colourway) by Parra [opposite page, bottom] on my wall…. So that’s an obvious choice.”
Gabriela Curraleira 