At Atoms, design is a fundamental pillar of our ethos. At the heart of the Model 000 (https://atoms.com/products/atoms-black-white) is its design process. Before designing the sneaker, Sidra Qasim and Waqas Ali researched every aspect of the market for nearly two years.
“As you move throughout the day, your feet move,” said Ali. “Most shoes don’t support the movement of your feet. I’m not talking about the walking movement.” What Ali is referring to is the way we position our feet throughout the day as we sit at our desks, drive our cars, and stand in line at the grocery store.
The pair realized that we need shoes that move with our feet. “We looked at shoes like Toms that were very open to movement, but there was no support,” recalled Ali. “We looked at shoes like Nike." They did what Ali refers to as “human research,” by hanging out at shoe retailers to observe the behaviors of the customers to see what they bought and what they didn’t buy. After, they would interview them to ask what made them purchase a shoe or—if they didn’t commit to the sneakers, why they decided not to buy them.
The discovery that there was nothing in the market with all the ideal elements that people want in an everyday shoe led Qasim and Ali to start Atoms. “If this is going to be a new thing, we are going to devote our life to it,” said Ali. “Let's make sure the foundation is tight.” The two incorporated all the features into one shoe: The Model 000. The midsole, made of a special proprietary foam, cushions every step. The lightweight outsole allows your foot to move effortlessly, no matter the position. The copper-lined insole uses copper’s antimicrobial properties—which have been in use for centuries—to fight odor and keep your shoes fresh. They designed the tongue, oval eyelets, and laces to work in tandem; The tongue stays in place, while the oval eyelets prevent the laces from slipping or bunching. The elastic laces only need to be tied once, and after that the Model 000 can be treated like slip-on.
The simple silhouette of the Model 000 ensures that the shoes go with anything, whether it’s a comfortable sneaker for your morning dog walk, something professional for work, or even a weekend wedding. Dress it up, dress it down—make it your own. It was designed with your needs in mind.
