Disclaimer - There is a mighty overuse of the word 'cool' in what you are now going to read.
I bet you all have noticed the sneaker's phenomenal and monumental rise from the street to the runway and the red carpet. If there is one accessory that has seen a giant transformation in design, context and even philosophy over the past decades it is your humble sneaker, now innately stylish worn with a slim suit and totally proper worn to work. Let's take a moment here to hail the triumph of the fashion sneaker.
Few wearable accessories transcend their basic utility to become steeped in popular culture and embody youth spirit the way sneakers have done down the ages. Converse is to sneakers what Levi's is to jeans and and if denims saw their designer transformation in the 70s, sneakers are coming of fashion age as we speak.
So what has led to the soaring popularity of designer sneakers and made it perhaps one of the more perfect examples of little luxuries? Because I am a sucker for lists, I'll give you 8! :)
1. The dichotomy of a sneaker, an everyday pragmatic wear as an object of luxury is innately cool to begin with. An everyday part of our lives, made luxurious yet accessible.
2. They help you push the boundaries of your otherwise understated sartorial style and signal a sense of experimentation and irreverence when you wear them. Sneakers are all about keeping it cool.
3. They are definitely legit work wear now (thank you Zuckerberg!) and speak of your cool, new age profession when you wear them at parties.
4.Yet they look a bit off duty- the unassuming glam of the uniform of someone who is too busy to think about their clothing. Exactly what you feel when Marc Jacobs or Phoebe Philo (Celine) do their post-show runway walk in their Stan Smiths. Or when fashion editors do their fashion week running around in them.
2. Jeremy Scott 'Wings' for Adidas
Launch date: June 2008
MRP : 220 euros
Why : The sneaker with wings
Buy it here : The cut out version is available here.
3. Louboutin Louis Black Stud High Tops
Launch date: 2011
MRP : 800 euros
Why : Studs on anything are fierce, and luxe when they come with red soles
Buy it here : Also available in all white ;)
4. Gucci Vintage Low Top Tennis
Launch date: 1984
MRP : 440 euros
Why : The first ever luxury sneaker
Buy it here.
5. Rick Owens for Adidas
Launch date: 1984
MRP : 402 euros
Why : The deconstructed sneaker with 2 separate soles, in uber luxe black and white leather
Buy it here.
MRP : 967 euros
Why : Russel leather high top sneaker with a understated white sole - Made In Italy
Buy it here.
7. Nike Air Yeezy Red October
Launch date: Feb 2014
MRP : 220 euros, and a resale value of 2000 euros
Why : Perhaps the hardest to get sneakers EVER.
Sold out
8. Valentino Camo RockRunner Sneakers
Launch date: SS 2013
MRP : 840 euros
Why : Camo becomes Valentino chic in this one in a range gorgeous colors and stud details
Buy them here
MRP : 795 euros
Why : Because when Mr Hedi Slimane sends something down the runway whether for Dior
Homme in 2004 or YSL in 2012, we know we gotta have 'em. This one comes with fringe.
Buy them here.
I bet you all have noticed the sneaker's phenomenal and monumental rise from the street to the runway and the red carpet. If there is one accessory that has seen a giant transformation in design, context and even philosophy over the past decades it is your humble sneaker, now innately stylish worn with a slim suit and totally proper worn to work. Let's take a moment here to hail the triumph of the fashion sneaker.
 |
| Bill Cunnigham shoots designer sneakers on the street |
Few wearable accessories transcend their basic utility to become steeped in popular culture and embody youth spirit the way sneakers have done down the ages. Converse is to sneakers what Levi's is to jeans and and if denims saw their designer transformation in the 70s, sneakers are coming of fashion age as we speak.
So what has led to the soaring popularity of designer sneakers and made it perhaps one of the more perfect examples of little luxuries? Because I am a sucker for lists, I'll give you 8! :)
1. The dichotomy of a sneaker, an everyday pragmatic wear as an object of luxury is innately cool to begin with. An everyday part of our lives, made luxurious yet accessible.
2. They help you push the boundaries of your otherwise understated sartorial style and signal a sense of experimentation and irreverence when you wear them. Sneakers are all about keeping it cool.
3. They are definitely legit work wear now (thank you Zuckerberg!) and speak of your cool, new age profession when you wear them at parties.
4.Yet they look a bit off duty- the unassuming glam of the uniform of someone who is too busy to think about their clothing. Exactly what you feel when Marc Jacobs or Phoebe Philo (Celine) do their post-show runway walk in their Stan Smiths. Or when fashion editors do their fashion week running around in them.
 |
| Phoebe Philo, Creative Director of Celine, always in her Stan Smiths |
5. You can wear what your favourite sports idol or designer or CEO is wearing in less than $200
6. They make you feel inherently athletic, even though you haven't been to the gym or the track since cicadas chirped.
7. They fit in seamlessly with the now prevalent normcore trend. Normcore is essentially highly-comfortable-grey-sweatpants-and-dad-jeans kind of anti-fashion statement. And sneakers are right on top with the subdued luxury of something very utilitarian.
8. They go with everything! Yes they do! Even suits and dresses when worn right. Then they are a bit like hats, they look cool only on the genuinely cool.
9. Gisele has posed nude in them for Vogue Paris. I rest my case.
 |
| Gisele in Stan Smiths, Vogue Paris 2004 |
The history (sorry for this- I have tried to make it interesting by making the entire history shoppable!) of celebrity collaborations in sneakers (Rise of the Sneaker Culture- an exhibition dedicated to the sneaker's exonerable rise is now playing at the Brooklyn Museum) started as we all know with Converse's Chuck Taylors All Stars in 1930s and haven't stopped since, thanks to the brand wars between Adidas and Nike. It was Nike that took sneakers in the realm of fashion with Nike Cortez in the 70s milking the twin trends of conspicuous consumption and fitness obsession of that time. At the same time Adidas collaborated with Tennis star Stan Smith to launch the eponymous Stan Smiths. Gucci launched the first official designer sneaker in 1984 (year of my birth, so luxurious!). Nike's Air Jordans ushered in the cult of the Sneakerhead. Run DMC made sneaker hip-hop culture mainstream with the Adidas SuperStars. Then in 2002, Adidas again upped the game with a proper designer collab with Jeremy Scott. And this was just the beginning. In 2004, Hedi Slimane dropped all-white hightop sneakers on the runway at Dior Homme and we all knew that the rules had just been broken. These days collaborations can be a lot more demand-driven marketing gimmicks - only 5000 pairs of Kanye's Nike Air Yeezys were launched in 2012 to propel exclusivity and sneaker heads lapped up the collection in about an hour. Kanye swiftly moved to Adidas then and his Yeezy Boss 350 launched this August sold out just as quickly.
 |
| Take your Kanye West designer sneaker pick! |
So now that we have logically concluded the rise and dominance of sneaker couture and you are all lusting to get your hands on a pair, I present to you my 11 favourite designer sneakers :
1. Raf Simons for Adidas
Launch date: SS 2014
MRP : 427 euros
Why : Bold colors and contrasting materials, these come with mesh, leather panels and silicone
details
Buy it here : Most sold out but you can find a few pairs here.
2. Jeremy Scott 'Wings' for Adidas
Launch date: June 2008
MRP : 220 euros
Why : The sneaker with wings
Buy it here : The cut out version is available here.
Launch date: 2011
MRP : 800 euros
Why : Studs on anything are fierce, and luxe when they come with red soles
Buy it here : Also available in all white ;)
4. Gucci Vintage Low Top Tennis
Launch date: 1984
MRP : 440 euros
Why : The first ever luxury sneaker
Buy it here.
5. Rick Owens for Adidas
Launch date: 1984
MRP : 402 euros
Why : The deconstructed sneaker with 2 separate soles, in uber luxe black and white leather
Buy it here.
6. Tom Ford Glam Sneakers
Launch date: 2014MRP : 967 euros
Why : Russel leather high top sneaker with a understated white sole - Made In Italy
Buy it here.
7. Nike Air Yeezy Red October
MRP : 220 euros, and a resale value of 2000 euros
Why : Perhaps the hardest to get sneakers EVER.
Sold out
8. Valentino Camo RockRunner Sneakers
MRP : 840 euros
Why : Camo becomes Valentino chic in this one in a range gorgeous colors and stud details
Buy them here
9. Buscemi 125mm Leather High Tops
Launch date: 2014
MRP : 800 euros
Why : Rich leather in edible colors including gold, golden padlock with keys and more out of stock than on shelves. They don't advertise.
Buy them here
10. Giuseppe Zanotti
Launch date: 2014
MRP : 475 euros
Why : In crocodile leather, all white and all black lace ups with gold metal hardware, widely worn
by hip hop bigwigs
Buy them here
11. Saint Laurent Court Classic High Top Sneakers
Launch date: SS 2013Launch date: 2014
MRP : 800 euros
Why : Rich leather in edible colors including gold, golden padlock with keys and more out of stock than on shelves. They don't advertise.
Buy them here
10. Giuseppe Zanotti
Launch date: 2014
MRP : 475 euros
Why : In crocodile leather, all white and all black lace ups with gold metal hardware, widely worn
by hip hop bigwigs
Buy them here
11. Saint Laurent Court Classic High Top Sneakers
MRP : 795 euros
Why : Because when Mr Hedi Slimane sends something down the runway whether for Dior
Homme in 2004 or YSL in 2012, we know we gotta have 'em. This one comes with fringe.
Buy them here.
Sneakers today are fore-fronting our modern day shoewear evolution and surprisingly are dominating in the men's category by far compared to women's. Sneakers are to men today what handbags are to women. And just how when men were boys they always cared about who had what sneakers, the rise of the designer sneaker will ensure that this illogical relationship and adult love for one's sneakers is a a phenomena that continues!
No comments:
Post a Comment