Creative Sole: Japanese Sneaker Culture

Creative Sole, Japanese Sneaker Culture is a book by Manami Okazaki that looks at Japan’s prolific presence in sneaker culture globally. Creative, covetable and cool, Japanese sneakers are some of the most highly sought after in the world today, with an incredible amount of designers, collaborators, artists and makers, all infusing their creative energy into this multi-billion dollar industry. This book includes hundreds of sneakers from the hottest Japanese designers, and collaborations ranging from the crazy to the chic, to vintage, rare and Japan exclusive items.


From Asics/Onitsuka Tiger’s Olympic archival items, to the entire portfolio of mita sneakers collabs, to historic Japan-made sneakers sourced from the vaults of Tokyo’s super collectors, this comprehensive book will thrill all lovers of design and fashion.

Included are over 350 sneaker photos, including collaboration kicks with a wide range of creators, from designers such as Comme des Garçons, street wear label BAPE, Nintendo game characters, artist Takashi Murakami, Hello Kitty to skaters like Christian Hosoi.

Interviews with famous designers, artists, creative directors, athletes and ad agency W+K provide exclusive contextual information into the world of kicks.

About the author
Manami Okazaki is an author and journalist. She has produced 10 books (coffee-table tomes/ visual culture collectibles) on Japanese culture, art, crafts and fashion, which have been widely acclaimed by international media. She specializes in traditional Japanese culture, popular culture, travel, style, fashion, and subcultures. She is one of the best-connected English speaking journalists for Japanese subculture material. Her long-term projects are represented in her books.

Her journalism commissions have taken her to explore anarchists in Greece, Lucha Libre in Mexico City, surf culture in Puerto Escondido, Paris fashion week, Muay Thai in Bangkok, HIV Buddhist temples in Lopburi, architecture in Berlin, and so on. An avid traveler, she has been to over 50 countries and has written countless travel stories both internationally and within Japan.

Publisher
Published by Kingyo Limited
Europe: August 2017
Book size: 23 x 79 x 108 mm
Hardcover: 280 pp.
Photographs: 350 color
Text in English
Price: € 29.99/$ 31.59

ISBN: 9789881250728

Photo sneakers ‘Koi morph’ by Yoske Nishiumi.