Sneaker

In the organizer's words:

Sneakers are more than just shoes: from a childhood wish to a status symbol to a fashion and political statement. Since the 1980s, the sneaker has experienced a rapid rise. The basketball and hip-hop scenes took them from the sports field to the street, into the mainstream and finally onto the catwalks of luxury labels. The exhibition at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf celebrates the cult object and shows around 250 pairs, including collector's items, design classics and social media icons.

Visitors enter the exhibition through an oversized shoe box, in which perhaps the most coveted sneaker in the world is staged: in 1989, the legendary Nike Mag was seen as a prototype in the film Back to the Future II . Around 25 years later, it was launched on the market in a limited edition. In the exhibition, the original movie prop shoe is shown alongside the fully functional model with automatic lacing and LEDs.

Why and by whom did sneakers become legends? At the beginning of the presentation, its origins in sport and music are highlighted and a success story is told using originals such as the Adidas Superstar from the 1970s: The original sports item becomes a lifestyle object and gains a foothold in school playgrounds. The Air Jordan series, a collaboration between Nike and basketball legend Michael Jordan, is particularly important for the beginnings. A highlight is the complete series of the Air Jordan 1 from 1985 in all 20 color variations and mainly unworn (deadstock), which only a handful of collectors worldwide own.

"Today, there is a real hype surrounding sneakers, which is the focus of the main part of the exhibition. Brands are launching collaborations with stars and artists, international brands and designers such as Virgil Abloh and Ruohan Wang. In addition, there are always unusual and surprising collaborations - such as with Lego, Ben & Jerry's, Star Wars or Tiffany," says curator Alina Fuchte. On display are design objects such as the complete series of the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Friends & Family Collection, the Adidas Lego Superstar to build yourself, the Nike Air Force 1 Tiffany & Co. 1837 and the "KOI" collaboration between Asics and Düsseldorf store AFEW.

Sneakers are collected worldwide, can sometimes cost thousands of euros and sell out within seconds. In 2005, the Nike SB Pigeon Dunk made it onto the front page of the New York Post in connection with the "Sneaker Riot": young people camped outside the New York store days before the start of sales, the police tried to keep the crowd at bay and the lucky ones who got hold of a pair were taken home by cab for safety reasons. The hunt for shoes is now taking place online in the form of so-called "drops" or "Raffles". Many shoes go viral through their presence on Instagram or TikTok, such as the Big Red Boots by the New York collective MSCHF, which are also on display in the exhibition.
In addition to futuristic designs, the final chapter of the exhibition features sneakers with innovative technologies such as augmented reality 3D printing and NFTs. With a view to the future of sneaker culture, consumption-critical and resource-conserving approaches will also be presented.

The exhibition is curated by Alina Fuchte, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf.

Price information:

Full payer: 9 euros Reduced: 6 euros Free admission: including children and young people under 18 and members of the Freundeskreis