Why Sneakers?

Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1980's and 90's, Timothy was, like most of the sports world, captivated by Michael Jordan.

It wasn't just the gravity-defying jumps from the free throw line, or the last second buzzer beaters. It was the sneakers. 

Those court-stomping works of art and their yearly deeds of championship bravery almost leapt through the TV screen, into your living room and made you feel like, if you could just get your hands (or feet) on a pair,  you could win any Final that you were a part of. And there began the obsession.

Over time, said sneaker obsession extended to more than just "Air Jordan's", but all sneakers. There's just something about a new pair. That new sneaker smell. That rigid, yet comfy pep-in-your-step feeling that a non-broken in pair of sneakers gives you. It's the way the right pair of sneakers could inform an outfit - and dress it up, or dress it down.

Even though 1980's and 1990's Timothy could neither access nor afford much in terms of cool sneakers, when the time came, he started his ongoing collection. And what a collection it has become - each pair with its own path to trod and tale to tell. 

And as Timothy’s love for STEAM education also grew, he began to see that sneakers weren't just works of art, but technological achievements in their own right. Sneaker design, the materials that cushion your feet or hold a sneaker together for years, or make a sneaker smell good, look clean or glow in the dark - it's all STEAM. 

Sneakers are the perfect example of STEAM being all around us - even in the places you least expect it. That's why they present such a perfect, non-traditional platform for kids to appreciate the relevance of STEAM to everyday life.