size? Celebrates 20th Anniversary With a Taste of Heat to Come
As an institution of the sneaker world, size? turning twenty is certainly an event worthy of several months of celebration. To mark the occasion size? kicked open the doors to their 2020 Seasonal Preview Show in London for a specially curated experience encapsulating two decades of heat past, present, and future.
It's hard to remember a time before the iconic orange question mark sat along the streets of major cities across Europe, but size?'s preview show highlighted their humble beginnings. In their own words,"It all started with a question...' What's your size?' ", a question that sparked an extensive string of collaborations bolstering some of the world's most impressive collections.
Situated at White Rabbit Studios in Hackney, the exhibition's walls were lined with a physical timeline of size?’s iconic back catalogue of footwear collaborations ranging from their first team-up with artist Dave White on the 2005 Nike 'Wet Paint Pack' to the 2010 New Balance 577 'Estates Pack' and the 2017 adidas Originals x Henry Poole NMD project. Sprinkled amongst the archive of sneakerhead favourites were special projects and activations that size? played a direct hand in over the years, such as the 2015 Nike Anatomy of Air exhibition, highlighting their proximity and commitment to the footwear communities that have stood with them since 2000. While the focus remained heavily in footwear, this introspective narration went the extra mile to make it clear this journey has been about so much more than just shoes.
Set over several rooms spanning the retailers two decades in sneaker culture, the first served as a testament to size?'s past, the second offered a look at the present, providing attendees with a preview of the collaborations to come over the next six months of anniversary celebrations. A true testament to the relationships size? has nurtured over the past twenty years, their release schedule is filled with silhouettes from Nike, Reebok, New Balance, and Converse, Saucony, adidas, PUMA, and Vans. Nods to past popular releases feature throughout, with the adidas Originals Liverpool and Cordoba 'Anniversary City Series' paying homage to the original 2010 collaborative series.
Heavy on the lips and camera rolls of attendees is the upcoming Nike Air Max 95 '20 years of size?'. A celebration of both the partner's collaborative history and the 95’s undeniable presence as a UK sneaker icon, this head-turner pulls materials and colours from the archive of past size? and Nike exclusive releases to deliver one unmissable finish. adidas also continue their ongoing partnership with size? and showcased silhouettes such as the Superstar and Gazelle Vintage accounted for in the '50/20 Cities Series' and 'Euro Celebrations Pack' respectively. Last years Converse Chuck Taylor All Star 70s Hi Multipatch is set to receive a follow-up, this time around inverting the blacked-out canvas for a seasonally appropriate white finish that maintains the ‘70s DIY inspiration of the original.
The third and final room looked to the future; showcasing innovators, tastemakers, and visionaries across a range of creative industries that share size?'s sense of community and stylistic vision through their personality, style, and artistry. Each shared personal anecdotes about their footwear choices, fondest memories of size? and more, connecting the dots between the footwear and consumers that have made twenty years of size? so memorable.
Check out everything that the size? 2020 Seasonal Previews Show had to offer above, and stay tuned into size?'s website to keep tabs on the next six months of anniversary celebrations.
