We've Got Sole

We've Got Sole is a celebration of the Black community’s influence on Sneaker Culture. It pays homage to the legacy of the Black and Brown communities whose creativity, perseverance, and style helped develop and shape what is now referred to as Sneaker Culture.  

Sneaker Culture first sprang out of New York City’s five boroughs, then later spread to other urban centers, including the Bay Area. These communities elevated ordinary athletic footwear into cultural symbols of status and wealth. 

This exhibit will highlight how Sneaker Culture first emerged from Hip Hop and the rise of Black athletes in the NBA during the 1970s and 1980s. On playgrounds and city streets, Black youth would adopt the cutting-edge styles and attitudes of New York City’s freshest and flyest streetball legends, B-boys, and graffiti artists--figures who proudly wore their sneakers not just to display their extraordinary basketball talents and dance moves, but as expressions of style and individuality.