The Irony Isn't Lost on Tom Sachs (EXCLUSIVE)
"First of all, no one bought the first Mars Yard. I had to buy them back from Nike at wholesale," Tom Sachs says. "And then in 2017, it became, like, the most coveted whatever, and now it's another elite fucking thing."
It's been nearly two decades since Tom Sachs first partnered with Nike — development on the original Mars Yard sneaker, released in 2012, began back in 2007 — and he's still perfecting the formula. He only wanted to create the perfect all-purpose sneaker. He inadvertently created one of sneakerdom's all-time grails.
"I [started working] with Nike because I was sick of the elitism of art; art's really expensive. I was like, 'No, I'll just make a sneaker with Nike and everyone will get it,'" Sachs says over video chat from his New York studio.
"It's annoying because you do something with Nike to not be elite. You do it so everyone can have it. The irony Isn't lost on me that I do something with Nike and it then becomes the most elite sneaker in the entire genre. It's weird. I'm a little embarrassed. But ultimately, I'm happy that people love it. I think it's great that people buy fake ones. I think that's cool."
Sachs shoots from the hip. Over the course of a sprawling and remarkably candid conversation, he calls Supreme "toy" — "wack" in street-art parlance — and Satisfy's MothTech shirts "really cool." Paying big bucks for pre-lived-in vintage clothes "is a form of stealing," he contends, while thoughtful retro reproductions, like The Real McCoy's bulletproof workwear, are cool because they reflect their creators' "super nerdy" dedication to craft.
But every great conversation has to start somewhere. And, initially, we were discussing the final step in his ambitious NikeCraft ISRU Summer Camp project, a multi-week campaign ostensibly intended to democratize the release of Sachs' NikeCraft Mars Yard 3 shoe but less obviously offering much more.
"My whole agenda is to, like, dismantle 'fuck boy' culture," says Sachs.
"I remember [Nike executive chairman] Mark Parker telling me, 'Sneakerheads like you.' And I was like, 'I'm not a sneakerhead.' He's like, 'Yeah, Tom, you are. You're obsessed.' and it's true. I'm totally obsessed. I've always really loved sneakers. I mowed the lawn when I was 15 to buy my first pair of Nikes, blue Waffle Trainers with a yellow Swoosh. And because I'm a victim, I just went on eBay and bought a vintage pair of the original ones. I mean, they'll crumble if you put them on your feet but I wanted to get them for storytelling. And I love them."
This is an authentic connection to a sneaker, the exact kind of relationship Sachs aims to foster with the Mars Yard.
Our culture views sneakers as "disposable," he points out. "People don't build a great connection with them. But it's so important that we build authentic connections with our things. Consumerism is a religion. Taking care of your things, as a practice, is not advertised because it doesn't support commerce. But taking care of your things is a really viable act of protest. And this isn't a guilt trip, it's an opportunity."
Indeed, Sachs' ISRU Summer Camp is an opportunity, and not just for sneakers. This series of challenges encouraged users to upload photos and videos of themselves performing modest tasks, like reading before bed and practicing free throws, in a bid to encourage day-to-day rituals.
In the same way that the Mars Yard is intended to be the ultimate do-anything real-world shoe, the ISRU Summer Camp is intended to promote day-to-day improvements for real life.
Nearly two million clips have been uploaded thus far. The participants didn't have to join in on every challenge but those who earn the most points through their submissions will be given the opportunity to purchase the Mars Yard 3 sneaker in September. But the real prize, Sachs contends, is being pushed beyond the comfort zone to create "unstructured acts of excellence."
The final challenge is to create a 60-second short film documenting a personal ritual. Sachs' example showcases a morning routine with his son, Guy, who also provides clip's narration.
"It's the hardest challenge and it's the most meaningful," Sachs says. "It takes a lot of work. But I'm like a professor spending all semester beating you up and making you submit to our way and now, finally, you've learned how to do it. It's kind of a final exam. It's participation. It takes sacrifice to participate, it takes time. But participation is everything."
That's a reasonable summation of Sachs' entire relationship with Nike, really. Despite their scarcity, the Mars Yard series shoes were exactingly engineered to exceed the needs of daily life. They're tough, hardwearing, and purpose-built enough to justify their price tag, because none of the best things in life are actually free.
The NikeCraft General Purpose Shoes were the closest thing that Sachs ever created to egalitarian sneakers, more mass than the Mars Yard in design, availability, price, and design. And he's plenty proud of them. But the Mars Yard is a truly special shoe. And yet, like all shoes, it only has value when worn.
"I give shoes to my family but when I ask if they wore them, they're like, 'Oh yeah, I wore them and put them back in the box. I don't want to fuck them up.' And I'm like, 'Okay, then you don't get the next ones. You have to fuck them up,'" Sachs enthuses. "The only wasted shoe is the one that you never wear."
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