Chapter 1
Canvas and clay: the birth of the sports shoe
Chapter 2
My Adidas: how music claimed the sneaker
Chapter 3
His Airness and the birth of the collector
Chapter 4
Soles in the gallery: sneakers as modern masterpieces
YOUR GOAL
Master of From gym floors to gallery walls
Ch 1 · Canvas and clay: the birth of the sports shoe
nike Adolf and Rudolf Dassler stand apart, representing their rival shoe brands in Herzogenaurach.
nike A young athlete wears classic high-top Converse sneakers on an outdoor basketball court.
Fun Fact
Waffle iron shoes: Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman ruined his wife's waffle iron in 1971 to mold rubber soles, creating the famous Waffle Trainer.
Glossary
plimsoll (noun)
A light rubber-soled canvas shoe. In the 1870s, British players wore these shoes on tennis courts, launching modern athletic footwear history.
A light rubber-soled canvas shoe. In the 1870s, British players wore these shoes on tennis courts, launching modern athletic footwear history.