SNEAKER RELIQUARY

REDEFINING HOW COLLECTORS SHOWCASE THEIR COLLECTABLES.

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN OWNERSHIP AND PROTABLITY

RATIONALE

Sneaker collecting is deeply personal, for collectors like me, each pair carries memories of where I was, what I was chasing, who I was with, what it meant to finally secure a pair. But physical collections are often hidden away: stored in boxes, displayed on shelves that friends rarely see, or only brought out for special occasions. The culture has also been reduced, in mainstream discourse, to hype, resale numbers, and flexing that erases the emotional and personal dimensions that make collecting meaningful.

While I have a background in 2D illustration and 3D digital design, I have spent the semester learning from Virgil Abloh’s approach to deconstruction and Demna’s use of satire and social commentary. Both designers treat objects as more than their function, they treat objects as vessels for meaning. This project applies that logic to my own collection, using the tools of digital remix (3D Scanning, AR, Audio Storytelling) to remix physical sneakers into interactive artifacts that carry both personal memory and cultural value.

The project also speaks to a practical need: sneakerheads love to show off their collections, but it is impossible to carry them everywhere. By digitizing my collection and making it accessible via QR codes and AR, I am creating a portable, shareable archive that can live anywhere, on my phone, on my website, in my friends’ hands.

THE PITCH

Imagine being about to carry your entire sneaker collection in your pocket, every pair, every scuff, every story, available anytime, anywhere. Not to flex resale prices, but to share memories. Not to show off, but to connect. The Sneaker Reliquary is exactly that: an AR-powered digital archive of my personal sneaker collection, built with love for the culture and the stories behind each pair. Scan a QR code, point your phone, walk through my collection in 3D. Hear the story behind each pair, each release, each memory. This is for the collector who wants to share without carrying. For the sneakerhead who values story over status, for anyone who believes that the best thing about sneakers is not the price tag, it is what they mean to you.