Exhibition Slots available from Spring 2025

Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street touring exhibition

Step up and discover the footwear phenomenon that has challenged performance design, inspired new subcultures and shaken the world of fashion.

#SneakersUnboxed

Slots available from Spring 2025.

From the Press

'This fun show has all the answers – including how to get really fat laces.' ★★★★ The Guardian

'A technicolour medley of shapes and styles' ★★★★ Evening Standard

'A post-lockdown must-see.' Vogue

Helen Kirkum Sneaker Archaeology

VEJA component materials

Installation view from Sustainability section, featuring Nike Cosmic Unity

Installation view into Tipping Point section, featuring runway looks from A-COLD-WALL*, CRAIG GREEN, and Versace.

PUMA x MIT Design Lab x Biorealize Breathing Shoe

Installation view from within the Style section

What's in the exhibition?

Know your Air Jordans from your Air Force 1s?

From trainers originally designed for specific athletic activities like the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star, the Puma Disc, and Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%, discover how sneakers such as the Reebok InstaPump Fury, the Vans Half Cab and the Asics Gel Lyte III have become cultural symbols of our times.

Take a journey through the design process behind some of the most technically inventive shoes of today with Satoshi, a brand using blockchain certification and the world’s first biologically active shoes developed by MIT Design Lab and Biorealize for Puma.

Then delve into the lucrative resale market that is currently valued at $10 billion in data visualisations from Stock X, before reliving the streetwear staple's high-fashion reinvention including sneakers by Balenciaga, Comme des Garçons and Y-3 and runway looks from A-COLD-WALL* and CRAIG GREEN.

Uncover the icons and collaborations that have shaped the sneaker scene over the years , experience visuals and graphic work from Jamel Shabazz, Grace Ladoja, Simon Wheatley and Reuben Dangoor, and meet the designers working to make the industry more sustainable, Stella McCartney, Helen Kirkum and Alexander Taylor.

Slots available from Spring 2025.

Get in touch

Enquiries

For more information on this touring exhibition, contact the Touring team by completing the tour enquiries form.