When a sneaker sole becomes an art object

Sneakers & art seem to be two increasingly close and bonded worlds, especially on Instagram, the real cradle of this type of culture. Not long ago we spoke to Edoardo Buscaroli, the designer mixing sneakers and art masterpieces on his Instagram page @airdononcicredo. A similar but more sophisticated page is the one of @artandkicks, that compares kicks and paintings following above all shapes and nuances. 

L'Empreinte Design is, on the other hand, something totally new. The young artist Clémence Chasselon, 22 years old from Marseille, calls herself a real Nike addict, and, after a degree in Fine Arts, she decided to blend the world of art with the one of sneakers, first with her project The Freshest Customs. Next she started to focus especially on one part of the sneaker that is rarely appreciated or highlighted: the sole. 

Clémence works above all with the most iconic Nike silhouettes, like the Air Max 1, the Air Force 1 or many reiterations of the Air Jordan. The creative process starts exactly from the sole, of which she creates a mould in resin, and then starts the personalization, with flowers, powder, pigments and sequins, all bright and original details that contribute to create a unique and innovative piece of design. 

The typical destiny of a sneaker sole is to get worn down by walking the streets. By choosing to capture it for eternity, to keep it intact, hung on a wall, is like a snub to the principal advocated by sneakerheads, their ‘Rock it, don’t stock it.

The creations of Empreinte Design are available here.