Every OG sneakerhead always says the same thing: wear your shoes! It sounds so obvious, yet so many collectors are keen to keep their kicks in mint condition, for fear of scuffing a sole. Bodega & Suicoke aim to challenge that notion.
To that end, Bodega & Suicoke have created a pair of KAW slide sandals fitted with extra straps, snaps, and washed denim uppers that'll fade and shred with wear.
The idea was to create a pair of go-to shoes that become truly "one-of-one" as each wearer remixed the sandal to their liking — hence the collaborative shoe's name.
Bodega even put together a slick editorial showcasing its stylish staff all dressed up in their workwear best, flexing their customized Bodega x Suicoke KAW shoes.
There are pairs with hand-stitched panels, devil-may-care rips, buttons, and embroidered letters. One pair is stuffed with art supplies in the vein of Nicole McLaughlin, demonstrating the use of the additional accents atop the sandal's upper.
"Challenging the idea that footwear should be as crisp and unworn as possible, the Bodega Kaw's use of denim invites hard wear and customization," said Bodega. "Not only does this add another dimension when wearing them, it's a reminder that the clothing you choose to wear and how you wear it represents you as a person and hold the potential to tell your individual story."
In a sense, Bodega & Suicoke's "One-Of-One" KAW sandal, available September 2 on Bodega's site and store for $220, recalls famous Japanese brands like Kapital and visvim, the latter of whom has produced an especially popular slide sandal.
But it's filtered through the DIY deconstruction aesthetic that's currently gripping the youth culture zeitgeist, made approachable with intentional space for supplies and an easy-to-stitch upper that allows for even novel tailors to give it a go.
It's easy, it's fun, and, best of all, it's a great reason to actually wear your shoes.
