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post-post colonial

cant remember if i posted this when i did it.... and if i did, here it is again haha my post post-colonial essay

Joshua Thompson

Post Post-colonial

Artifact I like and think is good.

Air Max One

The Nike Air Max One is a sneaker designed and released in 1987 by legendary sneaker designer, Tinker Hatfield. On a trip to paris, Hatfield was inspired by the Centre Georges Pompidou (Longville & Hatfield, 2006). A building which is cutting edge in it's own right. Hatfield liked the idea that you could see the inner workings of the buildings structure, from the outside(Longville & Hatfield, 2006). This inspired him to incorporate the window in the sole of the air max one, letting you see the inner workings of the signature air sole. This is a feature that would continue on and become one of Nikes' greatest and most recognizable design features even to this day. Hatfield says

Every shoe I design has to have a story behind it, that's what everybody falls for – be it the history of the shoe, the cultural relevance, or the technology, whether that's being excited about the latest technology of the latest design like flywire or reminiscing about the technology of the Air Max for example(The guardian, 2014).

The Narrative of this sneaker though, could not have been predicted by Hatfield. What made this shoe revolutionary and ahead of it's time was that because of the make of the panels, and it's already radical yet simple design, Nike could afford to continuously re-colour the Air Max and introduce new iterations of it constantly(The Guardian, 2014). This combined with it's hefty price tag, made the sneaker somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, especially in the Hip-hop community(Complex, 2015). This is Illustrated by numerous rappers making reference to the Air Max in songs, such as the Game threatening to “kill you if you try me for my Air Max 95s” in his song Hate it or Love it. Also due to its high price tag and cult status in the hip-hop community, the shoe became a target for crime. In the UK, the Air Max 95 has long held some criminal associations. The Air Max's' large price tag affords it a certain status, and its footprint has been commonly spotted at crime scenes. According to a forensic science report from the mid-2000s, the 95 was trailing second in “typical pattern frequency distribution for footwear marks from a UK police force” at just 8% to the 10% of Marshall Mathers’ favorite sneaker, the Air Max LTD(Complex 2015).

The sneaker also has a huge following in Japan, making appearances in numerous manga and anime series after the Japanese appetite for dead stock, second hand sneakers which have not been worn, grew dramatically in response the re-release of the Air Max(Complex, 2015).

These things show evidence of the globalized nature of fashion and design today, in which slippage and appropriation occurs and new meaning is ascribed to and artifact.The fact that this sneaker remains one of the most popular sneakers among youth today, despite being a 30 year old design, and that the high resale price of the sneakers is driven solely by the quality and design of the shoe, as opposed to just limited supply (which is how other shoes on this list garner their high prices), is why I the Air Max is one of favourite pieces of design.

Artifact I don't like and think is good.

Nike Air Mag

The Air Mag was also designed by Tinker Hatfield. This sneaker was designed for the film Back to the future Part II. Hatfield designed the sneaker for the movies release in 1989, in which Marty McFly time travels to the year 2015 where, among other things, he encounters these shoes. They were Hatfield's attempt at predicting a shoe that would be helpful and functional for people of that time. These shoes are a great piece of design because of the sheer influence they have had on almost every nike release since then, and also some other brands (complex, 2015).

One of the most intriguing aspects of the nike mag, is that for twenty six years, they were merely a design. They were not released to the public, or even made (apart from the pairs used for filming) until 2011 when they released a sort of look alike version, and then the full release of the adaptive lacing full version in 2015 (complex, 2015). This was for a number of reasons, the most notable is because the technology simply could not be fit into a shoes the that size, as the design of it is meant to fit snugly around the wearers foot (highsnobiety, 2015), an idea which at the time was un heard of but is now evident on most popular designs today such as Nikes' huaraches, and Adidas' NMD and ultra boost lines.

The Air Mag also pioneered the technology which would become Hyperwire. Nikes technology which would revolutionize performance basketball shoes from 2008 onwards (complex, 2015).

It was also a huge contributor to the design of Kanye Wests Nike Yeezy line, lending its extremely high over the ankle design and the use of a lycra or synthetic inner sole. The shoe spanned only two models, but became somewhat of a cult icon due to it's limited stock releases.

Despite the critical and commercial success of these shoes, I do not think that they are good sneakers. This is partly because in the film, they are advertised as being mass produced, and everyone was wearing them, however when they were released, they were only done so at auction, with a very limited run, meaning that prices went into the thousands of dollars immediately, and although the proceeds went towards Michael J. Fox' Parkinson's research foundation, it made it almost impossible for people to afford. The cultural impact of the Nike air mag is undeniable, but the design of the shoes is clunky and although it spawned a number of game changing technologies, it feels somewhat un-authentic, and the value of the sneaker is almost fetishized by the nostalgia they evoke.

Artifact I don't like and don't think is good.

Adidas Yeezy Boost 750

Kanye West leave Nike and join Adidas after the release of the Yeezy 2, citing that Nike would not allow him as much creative freedom as he was looking for. For my opinion, this was a good call by Nike as I feel that the Yeezy Boost lines are lazily designed and only enjoy the status that they do among the sneaker community due to the brand he has created and his insistence on releasing only very limited numbers of shoes at a time, forcing people to wait in lines outside sneaker stores for sometimes days on end. This principle of lazy design is evident in all of Kanye's' design, evidenced by a plain white T-shirt he released in collaboration with APC, which retailed and sold out, for $120 USD (okay player, 2013).

Kanye west raps about racism and the exploitation of black people in many of his songs, such as Breathe in breathe out and Spaceship, then actively markets extremely expensive products to those people, knowing full well that his brand and star power will create demand among people who often can't afford these shoes. Sneaker production costs are notoriously low, across the board, in comparison to their recommended retail price, with the Yeezy boost 750 being no exception. The shoes costs around $76 USD to make and retails for $350 USD, however (Highsnobiety, 2016), the dead stock resale value of the 750s' can exceed $1500 USD.

Another factor which sets these apart from other sneakers that can sometimes garner similar price increases, is that others such as Air Jordan Retros and Air Max sneakers, all have functional origins. The sneakers are designed to be use full and have a practical application, Whereas the Yeezy 750s' do not. They are made specifically for fashion, and are despite attempts by some nbaplayers, are not suitable for playing sports in, I can attest to this as I was gifted a pair and they promptly ripped and I hurt my ankles.

These Shoes are a prime example of ascribed value and The difficulties of existing in an hybrid space as an artist or designer. It is an example of the oppressed becoming the oppressor and the oppressed no longer being fully able to see themselves without the gaze of the colonizer.

Artifact that I like but suspect might not be good

Air Jordan 1

The original Air Jordan 1 is one of the most legendary sneakers in the world. Released in 1985 for $65 USD, they were designed for and worn by Michael Jordan for his rookie season. They were ground breaking in that they were the first shoe to be worn in the NBA featuring more than one colour. This at the time, broke NBA commissioner David Sterns strict uniform policy and he fined Jordan $5000 USD per game every time he wore them “Nike loved this idea so much that they encouraged MJ to wear the shoes, and Nike would pay the fees. In result, Nike gave the the Air Jordan 1 “The shoe banned by the NBA” label” (sneakerfiles).

This gave the Air Jordan 1 a cult following and it became the most popular sneaker of the decade (sneaker files), and forced David Stern to change his Uniform policy. The shoe also spawned many impersonators, including the Converse weapon and the Reebok Pump. However, The Air Jordan itself was in impersonator. It was modeled after the Air Force 1, released in 1982. This shoes has a very similar design, and employs the same technology but was discontinued in 1984, and seemingly released under a different name as the Air Jordan the next year (complex, 2012).

The fact that it is basically the same shoe with a different name, and today an almost $100 NZD price difference, Is why I think that they it may not be a great sneaker. They are merely a product of Nikes great marketing. Also, while there is apparent similarities between the Air Jordan sneakers chronologically, this doesn't apply to the Air Jordan 1. The Air Jordan 2 is a completely different sneaker. The Air Force 1 went on to become the highest selling athletic shoe of all time (complex, 2012), and the Air Jordan 1 is one of the least frequently released of the Air Jordon retro collection.

Despite this, the cult status of the shoe, and its' classic red, black and white colour way, are one of my favourite sneakers of all time, as are the Air Force one. They have their own mythology about them, and this narrative is the main selling point, despite the design of the sneaker itself being quite unoriginal.

Reference List

Complex (2015, September 11), 20 things you didn't know about the air max 95, retrieved from

http://au.complex.com/sneakers/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-nike-air-max-95/

Complex (2012), 30 things you didn't know about the air force 1, Retrieved from http://au.complex.com/sneakers/2012/12/30-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-nike-air- force-1/original-was-discontinued

Complex (2015, October 24), The visible influence of the nike mag on sneakers in 2015, retrieved from http://au.complex.com/sneakers/2015/10/nike-air-mag-modern-sneaker-influence

Highsnobiety (2015) Fiction to fact : Tinker Hatfield explains how adaptive lacing was made for the nike mag. Retrieved from http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/10/06/nike-mag-adaptive-l acing-tinker-hatfield-video/

Highsnobiety (2016), Sneaker production costs, Retrieved from http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/05/27/sneaker-production-costs/

Nice Kicks (2015) Nike air mag, retrieved from http://www.nicekicks.com/tag/nike-air-mag/

Okay player (2013) Not Okay, Player: Kanye West's $120 Plain White "Hiphop" T-Shirt Sells Out Instantly. Retrieved from http://www.okayplayer.com/news/style-kanye-west-apc-120-plain- white-hiphop-t-shirt-sells-out.html

Sneaker freaker (n.d.), Air max 1, retrieved from https://www.sneakerfreaker.com/tag/air-max-1/

Sole Collector (2015, May 24), How to Buy the 'Chicago' Air Jordan 1 on Nikestore

Retrieved from https://solecollector.com/news/2015/05/air-jordan-1-chicago

Thibaut de Longeville, Tinker Hatfield (2006, September 6), Respect the architects, Retrieved from

https://vimeo.com/38994002

The Guardian (2013, December 14), Nike's iconic air max trainer celebrates 25th anniversary with Tinker Hatfield. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/dec/14/nike-air- max-trainer-25-anniversary-tinker-hatfield

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