Overview

Published by the AFA in partnership with the Bata Shoe Museum and Skira Rizzoli, Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture offers 256 pages of exclusive material, including archival photographs and historic ad campaigns as well as interviews, sketches, and style tips from designers and tastemakers; it is the definitive collector’s book for any self-respecting sneakerhead.

The book features an introduction by Bobbito Garcia, an in-depth essay on the history of sneaker culture and annotated exhibition checklist by exhibition curator Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum, a discussion of sneaker preservation by Ada Hopkins, Conservator of the Bata Shoe Museum, an interview between Dee Wells of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder and Nike designers Tinker Hatfield and Eric Avar, and contributions by sneaker experts including Cey Adams, James Bond, Darryl DMC McDaniels, Marc Eck, D’Wayne Edwards, Walt Clyde Frazier, Adam Ad Rock Horovitz, Christian Louboutin, Hiroki Nakamura, Tom Sachs, Jeremy Scott, and Stan Smith, among others.

About the Author(s)

Acclaimed shoe historian Elizabeth Semmelhack is senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto. Bobbito Garcia is the leading authority on sneaker culture. Ada Hopkins is a conservator at the Bata Shoe Museum. Dee Wells is the creator of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder. Tinker Hatfield is a Nike designer. Eric Avar is Nike’s creative director. Cey Adams was the founding creative director of Def Jam Records. Darryl McDaniels is a member of the hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. Walt Frazier is a former professional basketball player. Adam Horovitz is a member of the hip-hop group the Beastie Boys. Christian Louboutin is a footwear designer.