The Art of Sneakers in Oakland

Do you find the topic of fast fashion versus affordability to be daunting? 

The Art of Sneakers, Vol. 1 offered an alternative and a tantalizing glimpse into that topic, into the ever-growing field of sustainable fashion, this past weekend in Oakland. Jeff Perlstein, co-founder of Oakland Style Lab and an artist, activist, and shoe enthusiast co-curated the show. The first of its kind, the show immediately drew me into the world of sneakers. Featuring 15 top creators in the industry, the shoes on display ranged in style and form; while some emphasized their sustainable roots, others brought a more sculptural approach to the shelves.

“Sole Space Lab is our sneaker project, which is a non-profit project that trains young people and adults to clean, repair, customize, and make their own sneakers, all because we think sneakers are fun and cool and sneaker culture is very dynamic,” Perlstein said. ​“But really it’s because we care a lot about the planet and sustainability and have a lot of concerns around fashion waste and sneaker waste. So really it’s a sneaky way to get people to think about how they might reconfigure their sneakers and extend the life of them so they don’t throw them in the landfill.”

The project, the self-proclaimed ​“Greenest Sneaker Shop on Earth,” offers workshops to customize and even create your own sneakers. Even if you aren’t feeling creative, not to worry: Simply drop them off to be customized by the pros. 

There are plenty of shoes already in the world. So we should figure out how to clean, repair, and fix up the ones that are here. So the idea is to inspire people. These are like top-tier customizers and sneaker makers to inspire people about what’s possible and then to encourage them to take classes with us or just do this on their own, to extend the life of their shoes,” Perlstein said.

As he kindly guided me through the show, we stopped to admire a few pieces. A white sneaker created by Vicky Vuong (C’est La Vic, pictured at top), adorned with flowers and moss, attracted me immediately.

Perlstein lit up when he saw where my attention had landed.

“She’s considered one of the top customizers out there today,” he said. ​“She’s self-taught, recently featured in The New York Times, and also she’s featured in a big show at the one sneaker museum in the world, which is in Toronto, having a show right now.”

The next selection of sneakers we stopped at was a functional collection of kicks by Sung Roh that I immediately coveted for my own. They were very different from Vuong’s sneakers. ​“Most of the sneaker customizing, is in two categories. It’s folks who paint sneakers in very elaborate fashion, whimsical stuff, pop culture references, or folks who make sneakers from scratch,” Pearlstein explained. ​“It’s actually an upcycling project. This is actually someone I took a class with.

This is a master craftsman, Sung Roh, originally from Seoul, South Korea, based in Brooklyn for about 30 years. She had a career in the sneaker industry, trained in sneaker production, and worked for several big companies for about 20 years. Then about eight years ago, she left. She was very concerned about the ongoing impact on the planet of sneaker and fashion waste and fast fashion. She was going to dedicate herself to upcycling sneakers and re-soling them.” 

A rare collection owned by Sneaker Museum Oakland sat on a shelf in the back, with vintage Michael Jordan posters, made in collaboration with Spike Lee, adorning the walls. Other artists featured included Cobbler Bushwick, Jar Customs, Jeremy Novy, Joshua Mays, Katt Davis, Malik Byers, Neil B. Caro, Sirron Norris, Stepkicks510, Scratch Customs, Tite Customs, and Worthy Foe, and despite being a male-dominated industry, many female designers, including all shown here, were featured. 

If you are sad that you missed this event, you still have a chance to bid on these sneakers until Friday. ​“A number of these that are commissioned just for the show are also for auction, and those auctions benefit our youth programs.,” Perlstein said. 

The Art of Sneakers Vol. 1 by SoleSpace Lab
Oakland Style Lab
369 3rd St.
Oakland
Oct. 12 & 13, 2024

To learn more about classes or bid on sneakers, visit @solespacelab on Instagram.

The article was republished from The Independent Review Crew