Sneaker Week spotlights creators in Portland’s footwear industry for another year
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — All throughout the year in Portland, you can spot shoes that remind you the Rose City is a flagship for footwear — whether they don the swoosh, are dusted over a latte in a sneaker-themed coffee shop or are featured in a new museum exhibit.
But for just seven days, Portland’s footwear scene is encapsulated in Sneaker Week: A festival that celebrates the past, present and future of the industry.
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Herbert Beauclere, a former employee of the now-closed Pensole Footwear Design Academy, launched the festival alongside Megan Davis, a senior manager who works alongside other creators at the Wacom Experience Center, in 2017.
The duo considered the Portland area’s ever-growing list of week-long celebrations — like Beer Week, Pizza Week and Dumpling Week — and figured it was only logical for Nike’s birthplace to have a footwear-centric festival of its own.
The event series has grown from a grassroots gathering of artists and entrepreneurs, to a city-wide event that collaborates with and is sponsored by major brands. But the festival still focuses on the local designers and industry innovators who inspired it in the first place.
“New York, Chicago, Miami and LA — those are like big markets [according to the wider footwear industry],” Beauclere said. “I think what makes Portland different is that it’s like the home of the creators, like the influencers, the people that are creating product to be on the Olympics, or…The World Cup.”
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Sneaker Week could foster even more footwear designers throughout the city. The K.I.C.-OFF Festival, which runs from Friday through Sunday, will encourage knowledge, innovation and culture through workshops, tech demos, fashion shows and more at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Sneaker Week tickets
Then, there are several “open houses” in store from Monday through Friday, including a “high-top happy hour” at the Jupiter NEXT hotel’s Hey Love and a sneaker gallery experience at Wieden and Kennedy.
Single-day tickets start at $20 for children and $35 for adults.
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