The sneaker created by FN Designer of the Year Salehe Bemburyβwhether it’s a high-end Versace look or a collab with the likes of New Balance and Antaβresonate with an obsessed sneaker. And that makes sense, considering that storytelling comes from a position of sincerity.
“I just come from being a sneaker lover. I recall all those times when I opened the boxes, opened the shoes, stood in line. So I suppose I’m trying to re-create that emotion, re-create the nostalgia. Bembury said. It’s wonderful to hear that it’s getting well received.
2020 Design of the Year award
To receive his 2020 Design of the Year award from FN, Bembury went to an “unrecognized location” in Los Angeles alongside the multi-hyphenated Jaden Smith. Who was eager to pick the brains of the beloved artist.
Smithβwho often also makes convincing Modern Equilibrium shoesβquestioned Bembury on a variety of subjects. On the way, smiling while sweating profusely and out of breath. Smith asked Bembury how it feels to have people investing in him personally rather than just his job alone.
I’m used to putting the product on the table and then walking out. And now the crowd is telling me to come back to the table, sit down at the table, and maybe even have a chat,” Bembury said.
Smith paused to check out the breathtaking views on the road while celebrating Bembury’s Latest Balance 2002R collab and the accompanying initiative. Calling the effort “amazing,” he also asked what new doors it had openedβspecifically, a product outside the shoes.
I’ve been able to mess around with only product creation through these partnerships. Having an industrial design backgroundβwhich is essentially product designβI am incredibly flexible as a designer,” Bembury clarified. So now that I’ve achieved the objective of making good shoes and creating. I think, a little bit of a brand for myself, I’d like to extend that into the field of product.