Salehe Bembury: I Make Shoes

Author Salehe Bembury

Hotly anticipated and destined to be an essential for the sneaker and streetwear hype crowd, this is the first book on and by Bembury, whose groundbreaking work with brands such as New Balance, Crocs, Puma, and Versace has made his one of the defining and most sought-after visions in the industry.

In the space of just fifteen years, Bembury has risen through the footwear industry to become one of the most influential voices in the sneaker world. Combining a lifelong passion for the culture with a unique appreciation for technical and material innovation, he is responsible for some of the most compelling silhouettes and collectible pairs of the last decade.

With remarkable versatility, Bembury has lent his touch to brands as diverse as Cole Haan and Moncler, New Balance and Yeezy, and to styles ranging from formal footwear to hiking sneakers, luxury runners to clogs—always with a unique aesthetic true to his vision. Trained as an industrial designer, Bembury has made textural experimentation a hallmark of his work. From the Cuban-link sole of the Chain Reaction he created during his tenure as head of sneaker design for Versace to the intertwined fingerprints that define the open form of the Crocs Pollex, his shoes have energized and broadened the horizons of the sneaker industry.

Collecting all of Bembury’s key designs from fifteen years of work—and with sketches, samples, renderings, and personal ephemera accompanying spectacular photography made specially for the book—this landmark monograph is a timeless celebration of the most original voice in footwear design.

About The Author

Salehe Bembury is an independent American footwear and fashion designer, living and working in Los Angeles. In addition to his collaborative work for brands, including Crocs, New Balance, Anta, Versace, and Moncler, he runs his own multidisciplinary practice, Spunge. He has won awards for his footwear designs, including Footwear News’s awards for designer of the year (2020) and collection of the year (2021) for his Crocs Pollex line.

Publish Date: October 14, 2025
Format: Hardcover
Category: Design - Fashion & Accessories
Publisher: Rizzoli
Trim Size: 9 x 12
Pages: 368
US Price: $55.00
CDN Price: $75.00
ISBN: 978-0-8478-4496-8

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Reviews

"...spotlights Bembury’s most notable footwear and apparel creations from the last decade-plus, both as a collaborator and a brand employee, as well as his work through his own Spunge design practice. It’s not just about the finished product either, as across its 368 pages there’s a wealth of sketches, renderings and samples, showing how his creations go from idea to process to product." — Hypebeast

"Just last month, Bembury released his first two sneakers designs Puma: his own shoe, the Velum 1, as well as Tyrese Haliburton’s signature model, the Hali 1. October will also bring his retrospective book “I Make Shoes” published by Rizzoli." — Women's Wear Daily

"Bembury likes to do things that interest him, rather than chasing hype: One popular
collaboration was with the clog-maker Crocs. Popularity followed nonetheless. “Most
sneaker collectors would have never considered wearing Crocs a decade ago. Salehe is
one of the people who helped make Crocs cool in a major way,” Dunne said. (Much of
this journey is also captured in “I Make Shoes,” a new coffee table book about
Bembury.)" — WSJ. Magazine

"Functioning as both archive and manual, I Make Shoes reads almost like a diary, tracing Bembury’s fifteen-year journey chronologically. Structured like a high-end scrapbook in the first person, it details how he made things happen...by laying bare his mental and financial states, Bembury’s book is not only about sneaker design but about the headspace of someone who produces them. Added to the never-before-seen sketches, prototypes, behind-the-scenes images, and personal essays are contributions from Bliss Foster, Jian Deleon, Brandon Jenkins, and an intimate conversation with André 3000. In whole, Bembury offers a blueprint for the up-and-coming." — 032C (International)