But how and why did cushion-soled, comfortable sports shoes go from commuters' dirty secret in the 80s to the highly prized style icon of today, sparking instant sell-outs, round-the-block queues and online bidding wars?
Photo: © Michaela Efford
This evolution is explored in the Design Museum's exhibition: Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street, which has finally opened after lockdown postponements, and runs until Sunday 24 October.
Examining everything from product design to 'sneakerhead' collectors and the associated subculture, the exhibition helps make sense of the shoe style that has gone from functional to high fashion in mere decades.
Photo © Michaela Efford
Approaching the fascinating subject from a design-based perspective, the exhibition is split into three parts: performance; street culture and fashion, with behind-the-scenes glimpses of the design processes that bring innovations such as self-lacing, 3D printing, air-bubble cushioning or recycled sneakers to modern customers.
Photo: © Michaela Efford
The exhibition also look at the booming resale market (currently valued at an astounding $2billion), the impact that the unprecedented outpacing of manufacture by trend cycles will have on what we put on our feet, and the key brands and collaborations that have shaped the sneaker scene.
| What | Book now: Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street |
| Where | Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, W8 6AG | MAP |
| Nearest tube | High Street Kensington (underground) |
| Price | ££14 |
| Website | Click here to book now |
