Elizabeth Semmelhack, curator of the Rise of Sneaker Culture exhibit talks about the evolution of kicks from the first Converse Chuck Taylors through Run DMC to Kanye’s Dons.
“The sneaker is the most baroque item of dress in a man’s attire,” says shoe expert Elizabeth Semmelhack, and she should know. Senior curator of Toronto’s BATA Shoe Museum, she put together the Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture picture book and traveling exhibition (through October 4 at the Brooklyn Museum) to celebrate the evolution of the athletic shoe from canvas high top to high-fashion status symbol that generates $55 billion a year in worldwide revenue.
