Nike in collaboration with artist Tom Sachs, recently released a new shoe called the Nike Craft General Purpose Shoe. It was designed to reflect the values of Tom Sachs own studio practice. While i liked the look of the sneaker, the use of the word craft did not sit right with me. I knew these shoes to be mass produced just like every other sneaker on the market.
So, I took this as an opportunity to change that script. My plan was to create a Hand Craft General Purpose Shoes that looks just like the Nikes but would truly be hand crafted. I drafted a pattern of the shoe by looking at countless reference photos. I then chose materials such as vegetable tanned leather and suede to construct the shoe. I finished this shoe using traditional hand–lasting techniques, and created a sole using found materials.
While this project was more performance than research-driven, it proves that many of the mass-produced items that we use daily, can indeed be made sufficiently through craft. Craft does not have to be just another buzzword.
Watch the video of how i made it below.