As arguably one of the most influential creators of the past 20 years, Tom Sachs has steadily inspired an entire generation of creators. From small in numbers, and big in passion, fan groups like the Sachsian Syndicate, to two of YouTube’s biggest stars, Van and Casey Neistat, Sachs has been a leading purveyor of the “I don’t care about aesthetic” aesthetic. With the over-the-top and perfectly selected, edited, and filtered Instagram-ridden world we live in, it should be no surprise that the pendulum of design landed squarely in Tom Sach’s wheelhouse in recent years and that’s where his relationship with Nike has taken off.
The earliest Tom Sachs collabs with Nike were raw and unfiltered in many ways, opting for the function of the shoe to define its aesthetic. The recently released, Tom Sachs x Nike General Purpose Shoe, is abbreviated to “GPS” in a way that perfectly aligns with the “simple is better” approach that Sachs and his followers strive for. GPS, as we normally think of our phones in hand, can really just be simplified to wearing a shoe and finding your own way. Though the GPS is both on brand for Tom Sachs and an excellent daily wear sneaker, the irony comes in the form of the new releases.
The orange Nike box that the Tom Sachs x Nike General Purpose Shoe boldly displays “Own Less Do More,” a statement that goes against everything Nike (and most sneakerheads) stand for. If you’ve followed Sachs for any amount of time, you know the statement is not included ironically, but with the yellow-hued “Dark Sulfur” colorway releasing on September 2nd, and a few others rumored to release in the coming months, it’s hard to think about “owning less” when the message is also, “buy more shoes.” Nevertheless, Tom Sachs and Nike will continue dropping new Throne-worthy collaborations, and there will be nothing ironic about collecting them for sneakerheads that resonate with Tom Sachs and the no-frills aesthetic of his work.
