Jeff Staple: Not Just Sneakers

In 1997, Jeff Staple walked into a boutique in New York City wearing a shirt he printed in his silk-screen class at Parsons School of Design. What started as a small, handmade T-shirt line grew organically and began to garner a serious following in New York. In the process of building this burgeoning brand, Staple was asked by Nike in 2005 to create a special commemorative sneaker that would represent New York. The Staple Pigeon Dunk SB was conceived and led to much fanfare upon its release. It exposed Staple—as well as sneaker culture—to a mass audience. In Staple’s words, to understand is to see and to see is to have clarity of mind. That clarity has helped develop his iconic Pigeon logo (and brand) into a global force that has graced the heels of almost every major footwear brand imaginable.

This book offers readers a history lesson in his enormous contributions to streetwear and the sneaker industry while also uncovering design context to a series of Staple’s most crucial projects. A beautiful visual reference, this book invites the reader to travel down an intricate maze of streetwear history told through an insider’s point of view. Archival sketches, drawings, magazine covers, and contributions by Hiroshi Fujiwara and Futura make this an indispensable volume for lovers of streetwear and design.