Shoes as high art in Portland show

The big picture: Axios toured "Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks" with famous designer Dylan Raasch, who can tell which way the winds blow when it comes to footwear.

• In April, Raasch quit Nike to go solo after 15 years at the forefront of design.

Zoom in: Aside from crazy kicks styled after pigeons and octopi, the show highlights some shoes made from chromed plastic, mushroom leather and old rope.

• There's the Nike Go FlyEase, which folds at the arch and snaps into place on the foot, and the Nike Mag self-lacing shoe from "Back to the Future II."
• Nike has "a massive amount of resources and the ability to make very futuristic ideas," Raasch said.

Zoom out: The exhibit shows AI tools that allow designers to turn a sketch into a 3D model and work remotely with the factory.

• "We're moving into an era of quick ideating and manufacturing processes, and the ability to do more future-forward thinking without those resources is more feasible for designers," said Raasch.

Catch up quick: Raasch is known for designing the modestly-priced Nike Roshe Run lifestyle running shoe, which sold over 40 million pairs. His Zen meditation practice inspired the minimalist sneaker.

Bottom line: Style is hard, but manufacturing is harder. Besides giving the Roshe Run a super plain look, Raasch reduced the number of pieces to construct it — from 50 to 22.

If you go: Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is at the Portland Art Museum until Aug. 11. ($25)