“Theories are patterns without value, what counts is actions.”
Constantin Brancusi
Tom Sachs x NikeCraft Mars Yard Overshoe
The words scribed in black marker on the inside of the red box of the Tom Sachs x NikeCraft Mars Yard Overshoe, and a telling insight into the mind of multifaceted designer Sachs. What began as a merger of ideologies back in 2012 when Sachs was welcomed in by Nike to start there now 7-year collaborative association, has since seen three shoe models, a series of NikeCraft apparel and with more rumoured on the horizon in 2019. I thought it essential to take this opportunity to exam the duos previous projects, and what we can expect from them in future.
Tom Sachs Space Program
New Yorker Tom Sachs would primarily describe himself as a sculptor, but he could also be described as a filmmaker, contemporary artist, and designer. His creating portfolio for the most part centres around the importance of functionality in art, which he believes to be underrepresented in what he describes as an “intellectual Jihad”, but his interests in utility and his willingness to explore this topic has become the cornerstone of his ongoing association with Nike, and the base the collective NikeCraft ideology. Tom Sachs used his love of functionality, and his most easily identifiable work, his Space Program exhibitions as the foundations for which Sachs could build his Nike collaboration on top of. Sachs first Space Program was in 2007 when his ideas were lunar focused, but it was in 2012 that he began to incorporate Nike into his plans when he took his Space Program to Mars. To clarify what is meant by Space Program, Sachs is no astronaut but instead likes to create a sculpture based exhibitions of what he believes a Space Program would or should look like, using his charming DIY aesthetic stylings, and to accompany his Mars-themed work was where he debuted his first Nike shoe, the Tom Sachs x NikeCraft Mars Yard.
Tom Sachs x NikeCraft Mars Yard 2.0
The shoe design featured a Maple suede and Natural Vectran upper, with a bright Sport Red Swoosh and heel/tongue pull tabs. The outsole was a modified Free sole that featured a thicker foam density and enhanced traction. The model itself came as part of a capsule which included jackets and bags and was envisioned to work alongside Sachs Mars Space Program exhibition. The reception the Mars Yard received was overwhelmingly positive, so much so that there was a call for more, and five years later at Tom Sachs’ Space Camp at New York City’s Governor’s Island his latest foray in footwear debuted. The designs unveiling took a more hands-on approach to perhaps any you’d be used to traditionally with the experience taking the form of a NASA training style challenge which involved ten mental and physical obstacle with participants unlocking the option to purchase the sneakers upon completion of the course. The shoe entitled the Tom Sachs x NikeCraft Mars Yard 2.0 ‘NASA’ shares a lot of aesthetic similarities with its predecessor, with the design featuring an off-white mesh upper with maple coloured nubuck panels, a Sport Red Swoosh, and red pull tabs on the heel and tongue. The shoe also comes with two insoles made of mesh and cord, with the latter geared towards sockless wear.
‘March Yard’
So far the two shoes Tom Sachs has produced for Nike have been well received, both of them fundamentally stick to more traditional ideas of what a silhouette should look like, even if the materials used and range of features is tailored to the designer’s specific ideas. The next project Sachs would embark on however would be a lot less traditional, and I for one when I first saw the model was left both perplexed, and amazed. Many had speculated at what the latest iteration of his Mars Yard would look like, but it was finally revealed during a screening of his film, Paradox Bullets in London, what his most recent project with Nike would look like. The Tom Sachs x NikeCraft Mars Yard Overshoe is a winter appropriated silhouette which is balanced atop a rugged SFB sole unit in icy blue and nicknamed the “March Yard” for the frigid weather in New York during the month. Its most striking feature being the overshoe component, inside this waterproof Dyneema material that pretty much covers the entirety of the shoe like a plastic bag has a Mars Yard 2.0 stitched into its inside where your foot comfortable sits.
NikeCraft Apparel
“I only do things that are interesting and keeps me on my toes… It’s a really major achievement, the shoe. I’m very, very proud of it. It’s something that I started working on in 2007 and just came to life this year. It’s something I didn’t know for sure if it was ever going really happen. It’s kind of a reminder that nothing can take the place of tenacity,” Tom Sachs explains to Vogue during an interview when asked about the design, and it is that bold tenacity that has allowed his success to continue with Nike. His overshoe once again came as part of a multi-composition project which also included a piece of NikeCraft apparel entitled the Exploding Poncho, a quick release waterproof that releases from a bumbag size foldaway.
Nike Solarsoft Sandal
The Sachs fan base is one that has some pretty high profile members, with the likes of Virgil Abloh, and Frank Ocean speaking of their admiration for his work, and with his Nike footwear catalogue valued upwards of £2,000 on most resale markets, his designs are clearly coveted and extremely sought after. So it would come as a surprise to me when during his most recent exhibition, a DIY take on a “Tea Ceremony” in Tokyo, images of his newest Nike silhouette emerged, and it is something entirely different to his previous endeavours. Rumoured to be a take on the Nike Solarsoft Sandal, the vibrant mustard yellow Lunarlite constructed sandals feature a ridged footbed, perforations at the toe accompanied by an upper strap portion and an impact absorption sculpted sole section. Maintaining a one-piece design, branding hits come in the form of debossed Swooshes at the midfoot and “NIKE” at the rear. Light brown straps similar to the ones found on the Tom Sachs x Nike Mars Yard Overshoe are tacked on to round up the design of the shoe. Now whether or not these are exclusive to the exhibition to fit the oriental theme, or set for general release is unclear, but the question really does bode, how ‘out there’ does Tom Sachs have to go before people say enough is enough or is pushing the boundaries what his fans want to see?
