Kids Get the Best Shoes. This Designer (and ASICS) "Sculpted" Them for Adults (EXCLUSIVE)
Adults may be spoiled for choice but kids actually get the best sneakers. Velcro straps, easy cushioning — what more could you ask for? Camiel Fortgens, who specializes in spotting the best and most overlooked aspects within the quotidian world of simply getting dressed, identified this for his label's debut ASICS sneaker collaboration, which is basically a kids' sneaker for adults.
It really is that simple but also not, much like Fortgens' practice at large. The designer's oeuvre could be summed up as not-not-normal — garments borrowed from the back of your mind (and closet) and made new through dramatic proportions and unfinished hems that betray the human touch. Start with the clothes that come to mind when you think "clothes" and end with something entirely fresh but still wearable.
Same goes for Fortgens' collaborative ASICS, created for the sportswear giant's Crafts for Minds program (a portion of the shoes' proceeds will go to the charitable FFort Foundation, based only a short drive from Fortgens' Amsterdam base). On the surface, you get that all-time ASICS shape: kinda chunky, kinda sleek, supremely sporty. The quintessential dad shoe!
But Fortgens' team turned the dad shoe into a grandpa-coded kids' shoe, melding lace-free utility with the kind of indulgent leather typically saved for premium walking sneakers. Also, Fortgens' ASICS are Mary Janes. Ish.
Now this is a sneaker collab of the truest sense: a designer's taste made manifest through a sportswear company's resources. And throughout it all, intentionally choppy edges only noticeable upon close inspection, gently warping the ASICS logo and the thick straps.
These willful imperfections have come to define Fortgens' work, not because the designer is sloppy but because everything his label does is guided by humanity. I remember when his personal Instagram page would share Stories of impromptu street-style shots showing cool-looking old folks wearing their favorite ol' clothes in their own zero-effort, high-steeze manner. That kind of personal style is a fingerprint is aspirational but it can't be replicated. Just like Fortgens' ASICS.
This conversation has been condensed and edited.
You've worked in a lot of different mediums but shoes are a new one. What was that process like?
Camiel Fortgens: A lot of DIY time went into making the shoe. [It's] a medium we don't know that well and offers a lot to discover. We were literally chipping away and sculpting our way towards the idea of the CF ASICS shoe we had in mind.
This is your first sneaker collab, which feels overdue (speaking as a longtime fan). Did you ever have other opportunities to work with shoe brands?
Yes. We didn't pursue any of them. ASICS just seemed to be the right fit.
You've used ASICS in lookbooks for years. Was that where this collab came from?
We became closer with the ASICS team over time; they sent us shoes for shoots and our shows. It felt like a genuine fit working towards an actual shoe together.
The goal was to work around a real heritage ASICS sportstyle sneaker while showcasing the real CF handwriting: DIY and high quality materials. We used the sportswear sneaker base, elevating it with a layer of leather handcrafted elements, mixing sports with a luxurious feel.
CF is now over a decade old — was this timing deliberate?
Not really, not from our side. However, the anniversary sings in the back of our heads, so we might see this as a nice 10-year marking and celebration.
How do you feel about sneakers at large? About sneaker culture and collaborations?
I grew up in and on sneakers. (I'm not really a dress-shoe kinda person.) And it's how I got into designing clothes. At one point in my teens I was a bit of a sneakerhead, keeping a close eye to what Patta was doing, what sneakers they dropped, even designing my own sneaker concepts at home and before long, designing clothes to go with them. I think they fit the CF brand very well, working with and around classic or archetypal (mostly) European or American-influenced clothing.
But I think sneakers and sneaker collabs have had a bit of an overkill. I zoned out over the endless collabs and hyped-up color ways. But nowadays, more interesting things are happening. More quiet and in-depth shoes, elevating more iconic shapes. Not just colorways but material or design research really giving a new depth to the sneaker culture. Maybe I'm just talking nonsense here... I'm not really looking at sneakers all that much anymore. I've just worn the same pair of ASICS for a long time now.
No nonsense detected... but back to your shoe: what's a key detail that risks being overlooked?
I love the construction and the inside most, the place where the leathers come together and stick out, overlap. And the embossed logo, mixed with the shades of white sportswear and mesh fabrics.
Also, the shoe was inspired by velcro kids shoes, the three-strap kind we had as kids, mixed with the idea of an open Mary-Jane type of shoe. I liked the idea of making an open shoe that was a bit more boyish, but with no lip, open to wear like a sandal, showing off some skin or sock. We might as well call it "the sandals amongst sneakers."
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