A SneakHead looks simple. Getting it that simple took a lot of sketching.
The head is a hiding place
The most important detail is one you can’t see. The head screws off, and inside there’s room for a spare pair of sneakers. Every SneakHead carries a second pair, so you can change its kicks or swap with a friend. That idea came first, and the rest of the character was built around it.
X-ray view: the spare pair fits inside the head and body.
A shape you know at a glance
We wanted a silhouette that reads instantly, even in shadow: a big round head, a small round body and sneakers that are oversized on purpose. There are no logos to date it, just proportions. That simplicity is what makes it a canvas. Artists can paint it, print it or cast it, and it still looks like a SneakHead. The shape is trademark-protected.
Sweating the small stuff
The character was modelled in Blender, but every prototype went back on the desk with a pen. Our figures stand around 10cm tall, with sneakers about 5cm long, and at that scale a fraction of a millimetre matters.
Arms. Each arm clicks into the body on a ball joint. Early versions moved too much in the socket, so we enlarged the ball, curved the shoulder to grip the body and pinched the opening, keeping the joint in gentle compression.
Legs and sneakers. We thickened the legs where they meet the body to reduce the risk of snapping, and tested a twist-lock fixing so the sneakers lock on with a quarter turn.
Soles. One prototype rocked on its heels. The fix was to flatten the back of the sole profile, a tiny change that makes the figure stand properly.
And if you turn one over, every sole carries the SneakHeads mark, because real sneakers do.
Made to be made in anything
Because the form is so pared back, it works in very different materials and finishes: eco vinyl, recycled plastics, clear resin, metallics and artist-painted one-offs. Each one changes how the details are cut, but the character stays the same.
One character, endless editions. That was the plan from the first sketch.