Pushing the Boundaries

By Elizabeth Semmelhack

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kick explores today’s most futuristic footwear designs through state-of-the-art technologies, ground-breaking materials, and new innovative ways of thinking about footwear. From the use of new technologies, such as 3-D printing to the invention of sustainable materials, including “leather” made from mushrooms and textiles made from reclaimed ocean plastics, contemporary shoe design is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in both the real and virtual worlds. 

Featuring in-depth interviews with of-the-moment creatives and design teams, including Salehe Bembury, RTFKT, Steven Smith, Alexander Taylor, Jeff Staple, Mr. Bailey, SCRY, Safa Şahin, and more, this insightful new tome also examines virtual footwear design in the metaverse from Fortnite to Decentraland and considers the rise of highly collectable NFT sneakers. 

Written as an accompaniment to the Bata Shoe Museum’s exhibition of the same name, Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is the perfect gift for sneakerheads and forward thinkers alike. 

COPYRIGHT © 2022 BATA SHOE MUSEUM, TORONTO, CANADA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Image by Kailee Mandel)

 

About the Author:

Acclaimed shoe historian Elizabeth Semmelhack is the director and senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum. Her more recent publications published by Rizzoli Electa include Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture and Collab:Sneakers x Culture.  

The exhibition FUTURE NOW: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks opens May 26 and will be on view until next October 2023. For more information on the exhibition, community weekend, programming and to purchase tickets or an annual pass starting at $25, please visit www.batashoemuseum.ca.

 

ABOUT THE BATA SHOE MUSEUM

Celebrating over 25 years of the World at Your Feet. With a growing international collection of nearly 15,000 shoes and related artefacts, the Bata Shoe Museum showcases 4,500 years of footwear history in four distinctive rotating galleries. Through the creation of its innovative exhibitions, the BSM strives to enlighten and entertain visitors of all ages. For every shoe there’s a story. Discover thousands at the Bata Shoe Museum. Further information is available at batashoemuseum.ca, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and our YouTube channel.