The DIRT shoesletter- Design Ideas & Random Thoughts

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 2-3 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: Ari Menthol 10s: The Sneakers That Smoked the System Quote of the day: “A dull truth will not be looked at. An exciting lie will. That is what good, sincere people must understand. They must make their truth exciting and new, or their good works will be born dead.” – Bill Bernbach Made me think: 🧠 The Mandela EffectCoined in 2009 by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome, the Mandela Effect describes the...

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 3-4 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: The Red Boots That Walked Ziggy Into History, Signalling theory and The Marginalian. Quote of the day: “Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.” — David Bowie (1970s, around the birth of Ziggy Stardust) Made me think: 🧠 Signalling Theory- Originally developed in economics by Michael Spence in the 1970s, this principle explains how people use visible cues to communicate hidden qualities. In footwear,...

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 3-4 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: The Boots That Conquered Everest, Blindboy Bodcast and Buying less rubbish. Quote of the day: “The hardest thing is not climbing the mountain, but deciding to do it.” — Maurice Herzog (1919–2012) was a French mountaineer and diplomat, renowned for leading the first successful ascent of an 8,000-meter peak, Annapurna, in 1950. Made me think: 🧠 The Dependence Effect – once a solution proves successful, it...

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 3-4 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: Bush's Cowboy boots, Oldest Video Store in the world and the Jugo boot. Quick note before we begin: As this is the first DIRT of the year: wishing you a very happy, curious, and creatively restless 2026. May this year bring sharper questions, better problems to solve, and the occasional beautifully unexpected idea. Quote of the day: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil,...

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 3-4 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: The story of Apollos moon boots, and the darkest material on earth. Quote of the day: “I would annex the planets if I could.” — Cecil Rhodes, (1853–1902) was a British imperialist, mining magnate, and politician in Southern Africa. His quote is provocative and this life controversial, but in the context of design, it prompts us to consider ambition: how far is too far, and when does scale become hubris? Made...

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 3 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: The story of Apple's rare $50K sneakers, The thinking game and Bambu 3D printers. Quote of the day: “Fashion is a parasite on style.” — Elizabeth Hawes, (1905–1977) was an American fashion designer and outspoken critic of the fashion industry. In her 1938 book Fashion is Spinach, she championed personal style over fleeting trends, challenging the notion that fashion dictated taste.. Made me think: 🧠 Von...

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 5 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: Reebok's 1997 Instapump Fury, Anatomy and Significa Quote of the day: “When everything is urgent, nothing is truly important.” — Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. Made me think: 🧠 Positivity Bias — Our instinct to overestimate the likelihood of good outcomes. In design, it fuels progress — the belief that we can build a...

Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 4 min - No need to reply Shoe DIRT DIRT: The Mockba — Adidas Behind the Iron Curtain, Everything in TV and other cool stuff Quote of the day: “The urge to destroy is also a creative urge.” — Mikhail Bakunin a 19th-century Russian revolutionary and philosopher — often called the father of anarchism — who believed that tearing down oppressive systems was the first act of true creation. Made me think: 🧠 Scarcity Principle – When limited access amplifies...

Shoe DIRT DIRT: The Armadillo Shoe, Hawthorne effect and voice cloning. Design Ideas & Random Thoughts Read Time: 2-3 min - No need to reply Quote of the day: “Character is who you are when nobody’s watching.” – John Wooden- Legendary basketball coach and life philosopher who championed integrity, discipline, and character as the true measures of success. Made me think: 🧠 The Hawthorne effectIn the late 1920s, researchers at the Hawthorne Works factory in Chicago discovered something...