The Paris Traveler

Tinker Hatfield, Renzo Piano and Centre Georges Pompidou

by Kim on July 21st, 2008

In my quest to come up with the unusual that will entertain and bring all of us together in weird and wacky ways to Paris, I have found this very interesting connection between what has become an icon in contemporary culture, two architects and a museum in Paris.

Tinker Hatfield (I could not love that name more), a trained architect turned shoe designer, has been working for Nike since the mid-80’s. Originally hired to design arenas and showrooms for the company, he intuitively knew that for him shoe design was where it was at and switched gears.  He can be credited with the “Air-Max” shoe–you know, the ones that have little windows in the heels to literally show you what’s inside. 

His moment of creative genius was influenced by a trip he took to Paris, which introduced him to the Centre Georges Pompidou , the city’s  museum of modern art designed by Renzo Piano in the mid-seventies.  Taking all that was understood about a building and turning it inside out, literally, is exactly what Mr. Piano did by exposing the interior elements on the museum’s exterior.  Tubes representing the building’s mechanical system are the first thing visitors come in contact with. The design, at the time, revolutionized what architecture could indeed be if someone could dream it.

Mr. Hatfield took that same thought process to the design of his shoe. By exposing the cushion of air which previously was “assumed” to be inside, he revolutionized running shoes that to this day wear their insides outside.

I found this wonderful video which inspired this whole post. It’s about 8 minutes long, so try and stick with it as it is really interesting both from a shoe design aspect and how one can be so influenced by the world around him if one goes through life with eyes wide open. And, then there’s the fabulous link between what we Americans put on our feet each and every day and Paris. Hah!

Why can’t buildings and shoes be inside out??