Elizabeth Semmelhack

Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture Elizabeth Semmelhack

Marc Notes: Bobbito Garcia showcases breakthrough sneaker's from the mid-nineteenth century for sports performance to present day cultural icon. Drawn from collections including Adidas, Nike, Reebok, PUMA and Converse archives, as well as private collectors such as those of hip-hop legend Run DMC, sneaker guru Bobbito Garcia, and Dee Wells of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder, this selection is richly contextualized with interviews and essays by design innovators, sneaker collectors, and cultural historians, creating a backdrop of the technical innovation, fashion trends, social history, and marketing campaigns that shaped the form over the past two centuries. Biographical Note: 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."

Contributor Bio:  Garcia, Bobbito Bobbito Garcla does it all: as Writer-at-Large for Vibe, his signature "Soundcheck" column has appeared in every issue for the past eight years. As a DJ, he broke such acts as Wu Tang, Jay-Z, and Nas on his legendary "Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito" radio show on New York's WKCR radio. His passion for sneakers has found many outlets over the years; he was one of the first writers to pen an article on the subject in a national magazine (The Source, in 1991), and he has consulted for Nike, Adidas, and Converse. He has appeared in six Nike ad campaigns from 1994 to 2002, and has displayed his prodigious basketball skills in halftime shows for the NBA. His writing has appeared in books such as THE VIBE HISTORY OF HIP HOP (Three Rivers Press, 1999) and EGO TRIP'S BOOK OF RAP LISTS (St. Martin's Press, 1999). A genuine hip hop legend, Garcia lives in New York City, where he is working on "Basics to Boogie," an instructional basketball video/DVD series. Contributor Bio:  Semmelhack, Elizabeth Elizabeth Semmelhack is curator at the Bata Shoe Museum. Contributor Bio:  Willis, Pauline Pauline Wills, MBRA, H. Dip. C. Th, MIACT, DSA is a qualified reflexologist and yoga instructor. She has been practicing reflexology for over twenty-five years and pioneered the integration of color therapy with reflexology. She is co-founder of the Oracle School of Colour in London, where she teaches and practices color therapy and reflexology. Contributor Bio:  McDaniels, Darryl Darryl McDaniels and Run-DMC began playing rap and hip-hop music in the early '80's. The forefathers of modern hip-hop, they are largely credited with being one of the first groups to break into the mainstream, they've continue to produce music for their many thousands of fans.