The sneaker culture has no limits and is getting richer every day. Under the initiative of the french rugby club Stade Toulousain and to celebrate the return to Earth of its ambassador Thomas Pesquet, an exceptional project has been presented : a Jordan 1 designed with and for the famous French astronaut. This work is the result of the high-end work of the passionate shoemakers of LBT Sneakers (Le Bottier Toulousain Sneakers).
Thomas Pesquet is of course a space specialist, but also a fan of basketball and sneakers. This unique pair, naturally named Space Jordan 1, was designed in collaboration with the astronaut while he was still in the ISS (International Space Station).
The artists-craftsmen of LBT Sneakers, Nicolas Fournes and Jean-Emmanuel Pialoux, have brilliantly taken up the challenge launched by the famous rugby club number 1 for Thomas Pesquet, the Stade Toulousain. To design this exceptional sneaker, the two craftsmen sought out exceptional materials. They were able to obtain free of charge from Comat (the specialized company that manufactured the blob transport box for Thomas Pesquet’s last mission in the ISS) some indispensable materials from the aerospace field : Betacloth, a textile used for astronauts’ suits, and MLI (Multi Layer Insulation), satellite insulation. The use of these unconventional materials required a lot of effort and ingenuity from the LBT Sneakers team in Toulouse. After a hundred hours of work including sourcing materials, exchanges between partners, design thinking, prototyping, testing and manufacturing, this exclusive pair is born ! The LBT Sneakers team would like to thank the other local actors who have made this project possible, Héméria and the Cité de l’espace.
Dressed in an elegant color palette of white, grey and gold, the Space Jordan 1 consists of a white Betacloth upper, applied right side up on the front of the foot and upside down on the back. This base is complemented by grey overlays in nubuck calf leather worked to recall the asperities of the moon’s surface. The iconic side Swoosh appears in brass mesh and held in place with deliberately visible seams. In a close gold shade, the collar is covered with shiny MLI. The latter gold elements add character to the pair. To harmoniously finalize the look, the whole is based on a white midsole coupled with a semi-translucent outsole that reveals under the foot the TPSK logos in honor of Thomas Pesquet and Wings remodeled. These graphic details have been added in a process unseen in France. To immortalize the design of this special pair, detailed Off-White markings stand out on the medial panels. The pair is housed in an exclusive box made by Comat. It was modeled and then 3D printed and features partner logos.
The Space Jordan 1 was offered to Thomas Pesquet. You can discover it (and analyze it) via the posts on the networks of LBT sneakers @lbtsneakers and their partner photographer @gawmess. In addition to making sneakers and shoes, Le Bottier Toulousain offers shoe design workshops for all individuals. For more information, visit the store at 45 Rue des Paradoux 31000 Toulouse, mail contactcontact@lebottiertoulousain.fr, website www.lbtsneakers.fr and phone 0532596955. Enjoy !
