'Finally, Something Good’ , Stefan Sagmeister’s exhibition at Paris’s Gaîté Lyrique, features a collaboration with German footwear brand Ekn that turns global statistics into two wearable footwear designs to reflect the data visualisation of social and environmental issues such as renewable energy and homelessness.The designs use colour, shape and material to make the complex issues tangible.
The ‘Bring it On’ sneaker translates renewable electricity data into a multicoloured composition of leather panels. Their relative sizes represent different renewable energy sources, including hydropower, wind and solar. Drawing on the Energy Institute’s 2024 Statistical Review of World Energy, the design makes the shifting energy landscape visible through the sneaker design.
The second design, ‘Like a Complete Unknown’ is a boot that uses circular appliqués to represent street homelessness across six countries. Based on OECD data, the varying sizes of the circles illustrate differences in reported homelessness rates, turning statistics into a striking visual comparison.
The shoe designs invite questions about the forces shaping society. Stefan Sagmeister argues that neither homelessness nor the transition to renewable energy are inevitable but both instead reflect decisions that can be changed.
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