In addition to amazing sneakers, 2023 seems to have its own share of controversy. And one of the biggest ones is currently Tom Sachs. You’re probably familiar with the artist because of his partnership with Nike. However, the artist is much more than that collaboration, and it seems like not all sides are positive. So, what’s going on with Sachs, and why are the art and sneaker industries mad at him? Let’s find out what went down in the world together, shall we?
Who Is Tom Sachs?
Tom Sachs studied architecture in college, but his career really started taking off in the 90s. He had some impressive takes on contemporary art, and his name grew fast. His signature work method is bricolage. This means that he started making sculptures and other artwork using items already collected and on hand. He takes available materials, retools them, and turns them into a whole different item! One of his biggest and most famous projects is 2007’s Space Program.
Beyond the art world, Sachs and Nike started their partnership in 2012 with the release of the Nike Mars Yard. Five years later, we got the updated version of the kicks with better material and so on. And in 2022, we got the General Purpose Shoe, or simply the GPS. These kicks were pretty boring, but that was the whole point of that collab! If you wanna read more about previous kicks, check this out. And finally, Sachs also dabbles in NFTs and furniture lines.
Things Went Downhill Pretty Quickly
We really don’t know where to start. Why? Because allegations of different misbehaviors rained down on Tom Sachs… in bulk. First things first, Sachs seems to be a very hard person to work with according to former employees. He allegedly could throw a fit and get verbally abusive when angry. And that kinda gives a new perspective to his 2010 film Ten Bullets.
In addition to the uncomfortable work environment, Sachs referred to a storage room in his studio as a “rape room”. In 2016, he changed it to the “consent room”, which has the same connotation if you know the name history. Moreover, he openly discusses private matters like the “type” of women he likes and more. You can read a detailed description and stories of former employees in this article by Curbed.
Nike-Related Controversy
Tom Sachs required studio employees to wear uniforms, yet he allegedly showed up in his underwear. He even attended a Zoom call with Nike employees who were women in his underwear. Finally, it seems like things aren’t going too well for Sachs after the reports and scrutiny. You see, in 2017 Nike recalled the Nike Mars Yard 2.0 boxes because they featured an offensive phrase. The phrase is a quote from the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi.
What Will Happen to the Nike Tom Sachs Partnership?
According to a Nike spokesperson, the Swoosh is “concerned by the very serious allegations”. Moreover, Nike is in contact with Sachs and his studio to understand the situation. As for the public’s opinion, it’s split. Some people are agreeing with the downhill turn of events, while others are considering it to be a reach. Now, whether Nike will keep Sachs on board or not remains a mystery so far.
Nike and Tom Sachs are allegedly working on the Nike Mars Yard 3.0. So will that factor in the brand’s decision to cut ties? It’s worth noting that Nike and Kyrie parted ways pretty fast after a controversy though. Whichever the outcome, we always come back to the same topic: the public’s forgiveness. We saw it with Kanye, and then Kyrie. Will Sachs be the third person to face serious consequences for things or will he slip? We’ll see!
