These Dressy Dad Sandals Are Convertible (EXCLUSIVE)
Craig Green is at his best when he's going his own way, skewing and shredding staid menswear tropes to give way to something fresh and new. His collaborations with heritage makers really lay this process bare, like his grass-dyed Fred Perry shirts and warped ECCO lace-ups. Even the shoes that Green produces with Grenson feel fresh, despite being built on the century-and-a-half-old shoemaker's bones.
With straps and snaps, Green's first Grenson shoes — should they be called Greensons? — feel as fresh as anything turned out by footwear companies half Grenson's age, in that they don't look quite like anything else. His stab at the Grenson sandal is even nuttier.
And yet, it's not so far removed from normal. Kinda.
"I have always been interested in ideas of function and the reality of how something is worn and used," Green tells Highsnobiety. "Working with established traditional footwear styles that have been developed over time gives a clear structure to work within, as well as something to respond to and push against."
His newest Grenson shoes, releasing online in mid-February, are very clearly based on the heritage footwear styles Green cites. Just look at the broguing and the dressy grained leather. There's even a kiltie and a couple dangling tassels! It's just that, on Green's shoes and sandals, the tassels are jutting off of the heel and the broguing runs up and over layered straps.
"Rather than completely redesigning a shoe, the process is about working within existing codes and exploring how we can push and shift these into new proposals," Green says. That means retaining a familiar framework while getting a little funky with it.
And those shiny buttons ain't just for show. The wearer can customize the look of their shoe by unsnapping each panel from its place, rearranging as they like. These are nigh-on fully convertible shoes.
"Creating pieces that allow the wearer to change how they function, rather than remaining in a fixed state, creates the possibility to adapt while still feeling grounded in a traditional structure," says Green.
And most of all, it's fun. Green knows how to make tradition feel fresh without abandoning the safe haven of wearability. There's a lot going on here but it's all within reason. Disagree? A couple of snaps later, you're looking at a much more classic shoe.
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