How Collaborations Turned Sneakers Into Luxury Fashion

FASHION

THE RISE OF LUXURY SNEAKERS: WHERE HIGH-FASHION AND FOOTWEAR COLLIDE

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COURTESY of VARIOUS BRANDS

WORDS

by ROBERT PATOS

In what seems like another lifetime ago, sneakers were once looked upon as a sensible footwear option that tactfully placed functional practicality well before any sort of sartorial relevance. Throughout much of the ‘70s, big-time sportswear brands began ramping up their pro athlete rosters, doing well to outfit star endorsers with their latest styles. At the time, television sets were quickly making their way into living rooms far and wide, placing such endorsers — fashionable footwear and all — squarely in front of the buying public. Game, set, match.

At this point, sneakers began to step out from the shadows of their predetermined accessory plane, proving their worth as a prominent subculture worthy of all the media attention it so hastily consumed. Brands, such as Adidas, began championing the industry well beyond the confines of just casual comfort, inking powerhouse rap trio, Run-D.M.C., to a lucrative $1 million deal in the late ‘80s. As the story goes, an Adidas executive by the name of Angelo Anastasio was invited to a show at Madison Square Garden. Just prior to performing their hit track “My Adidas,” Run turned to the thousands in attendance requesting each and everyone to hold their sneakers high up in the air for all to see.

A quick look at the hoards of Three Stripes runners floating directly above the raucous crowd provided the brand a look into the foreseeable future of footwear. In the years to follow, the sportswear titan continued its foray into the lifestyle market, reaching out to such crossover celebs including Pharrell, Pusha-T and Katy Perry. With a diverse clientele that now spans sports, music, fashion, and seemingly everything in between, Adidas continues to inject sportswear sensibilities into different markets, doing so in a manner most conducive to each of the respective arenas. Both Nike and Converse have since followed suit with Drake and Travis Scott inked to the former, while Tyler The Creator bears ties to the latter.

The next logical step would be to see sneakers make their way up the high-fashion food chain and onto the design floors of the industry’s most notable tastemakers. By no means new to the scene in any way, Virgil Abloh’s collaborative “The Ten” collection designed alongside Nike catapulted luxury sneaker hybrids into the sneaker stratosphere—simultaneously bridging the gap between style and substance. Abloh did well to resurrect a pair of grails from Nike’s archival vault, casting a spotlight on the Blazer and Air Presto — two silhouettes that hadn’t made much noise over the past few years — which, not only brought new sets of eyes over to the unfamiliar, but provided an interactive breeding ground for luxury fashion and progressive streetwear to willfully coexist.

And now, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of the best high-fashion sneaker collaborations to hit the scene recently.

Sacai x Nike “LDV With Waffle Daybreak”

Chitose Abe and her Sacai imprint have helped elevate fashion’s luxury sector for over 20 years, showcasing innovative collections season-after-season on the runways of Paris Fashion Week. First hitting the main stage in January of last year is this interpretive mashup centered around a pair of old-school Swoosh silhouettes. In the true spirit of collaborative endeavors, Sacai thought about fusing elements of Nike’s LDV and Waffle Daybreak models, respectively, en route to fashioning true one-of-a-kind finds. Creative touch points include conjoined side Swooshes, tongues, mudguards and laces, creating a blurred, double-vision effect.

$876

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Ambush x Nike Air Max 180

Yoon and Verbal first launched AMBUSH in 2008 as a couture-level jewelry brand, who have since gone on to introduce garment collections that play with silhouette and style structure in the most creative of ways. Late last year, Yoon teased images of the label’s then upcoming capsule alongside Nike, which featured a pair of Air Max 180 models. The high-top runner gives way to a zipper-enclosed outer shroud enveloping the upper base with an enlarged Swoosh symbol hitting the forefoot area and Nike’s signature Air Max unit housed below.

$350

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Vetements x Reebok Sike 400 Runner

Under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia, Vetements continues to push the sartorial envelope well past where most others are willing to go, fusing military, punk, sportswear and varying strains of social commentary into its wares. The progressive label keeps its relationship with Reebok moving forward with the release of the Spike 400 Runner. A trio of mesh overlays blanket the upper base, while a spattering of silver spike heads add a rebellious, almost disruptive, semblance to the sporty shoe.

$893.56

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Comme des Garçons Homme Plus x Nike Air Presto Foot Tent

Comme des Garçons and its swarm of offshoot labels have each aligned with Nike to create some of the most elaborate sneakers spotted both on and off the runway. Initially unveiled at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2019, official images of the COMME des Comme des Garçons Plus x Nike Air Presto Foot Tent surfaced earlier this year in a pair of distinct color schemes. The eccentric runner highlights a decorative inner bootie, concealed only by a thin outer shroud.

$230

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Undercover x Converse Chuck 70 “Order and Disorder”

Last year, Undercover released its conceptual “Order and Disorder” collection, of which featured a collaborative range of low-cut Chuck Taylors designed alongside Converse. The duo is keeping their relationship on the up and up with a new offering titled “The New Warriors,” highlighting a pair of tonal Converse Chuck 70s in monochromatic black and white. Standout features include a lacing/zipper enclosure combo, metal rings hitting the toe box and heel, with a decorative “NW” logo decorating the lateral-side collar.

$125

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