Cey Adams emerged as an important New York City graffiti artist in the 1980s. His close friendship with the rap group Beastie Boys led him into design work, and he created their first logo as well as album covers and merchandise. By the late 1980s, he was the Creative Director at the music label Def Jam Recordings where he—along with his business partner Steve Carr—established The Drawing Board, the label’s in-house design firm responsible for creating the album covers, logos, and advertising campaigns for artists including Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, The Notorious B.I.G., DMX, Jay-Z, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and many more. More recently, Adams was commissioned to create the large-scale work ONE NATION for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.


In 2006, Adams was invited by adidas to create the adicolor Hi, a powder-blue sneaker featuring Adams’s photography and paying homage to old-school hip-hop, b-boying, and graffiti.


Cey Adams × adidas adicolor Hi, 2006. Gift from the Artist.


See these shoes on display in our exhibition Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists. Sponsored by: @blogto @curiocitytoronto @dailyhivetoronto @fashioncanada @nowtoronto ...

In partnership with @designlinesmagazine and inspired by our exhibition Dressed to Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980s, we invite you to join us for Cultural Narratives: The Storytelling Power of Design, a unique panel discussion exploring how footwear and interior design serve as cultural artifacts that tell insightful stories about the 1980s on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Visit our website to purchase tickets 🎟️

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@inkedoutkicks ...

Previously on view in our All Dolled Up: Fashioning Cultural Expectations, these Japanese geta are a form of stilted footwear first popularized in cities during the Edo period (1603–1868). Their elegant, minimal design makes them easy to translate into miniature mementos.


Japanese, 1980s ...

PONY, which stands for “Product of New York,” was founded in New York in 1972 and became popular in street fashion for their running and basketball shoes. This M-100 dates to 1989 and features the high-tops and thick, chunky soles characteristic of most basketball shoes in this era. The use of bright blue and pink across the uppers is very recognizably 1980s, adding a bold, fashionable twist.

Photo by Kailee Mandel
On view in our Dressed to Impress exhibition. Sponsored by: @boom973toronto @thetorontostar @designlinesmagazine @thekitca @azuremagazine ...

Shop with purpose! 🛍️ This Sunday, December 1, our Museum shop will be taking part in Museum Store Sunday, an event celebrating museum shops worldwide.

We’ll be offering a one-day sale: 10% off all merchandise, or 20% when you bring in a new, unused pair of socks to donate to @socks4soulsca. ...

Did you know? Sonja Bata, founder of the BSM was inspired by the iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz and had these red sequined women`s pumps custom made to wear at the opening of the Museum in 1995. ...

Did you know that Vern Taylor was the first Canadian skater to land a triple axel? Learn more about the story of Canadian figure skating by exploring our online exhibition Boots & Blades on our website ⛸️

Pictured: Wrought iron blades featuring an extended toe curl are mounted to the wood platform on metal posts. Leather straps are missing. C. 1780-1850. ...

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, artist Peter Max was arguably the most influential artist in the Western world. His psychedelic artwork was uplifting, counterculture in feel, and yet extremely marketable. By 1969, he had over 50 commercial licensing agreements, including one with the Randolph Rubber Company to create a series of sneakers for men, women, and children. A comment from a friend warning Max that all he was going to be remembered for were his “commodities” rather than his “artwork” reflected the sharp divide in how art was perceived, and caused Max to stop all commercial work for decades. This pair of high tops features Peter Max’s style, including his signature smiling mouth at the back quarters.

See these shoes on view in our latest exhibition Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists 👟

📷: Darren Rigo

Sponsored by: @blogto @curiocitytoronto @dailyhivetoronto @fashioncanada @nowtoronto ...