How to Improve Upon an Impossibly Cool Shoe? Simply Don't (EXCLUSIVE)
YMC's Grenson shoe was too good to last a single season. In fact, it was too good to return alone.
In Spring/Summer 2025, British brands YMC and Grenson created the Division oxford, a snappy split-toe lace-up so good that it garnered as much enthusiasm as any hyped sneaker drop.
The Division's appeal was obvious — the snub-nosed black or burgundy leather shoe shrouded its laces with a thick flap that made for a mean, meaty shit-kicker — but even its makers were likely surprised when the $800 shoes sold out. Leather shoes are rarely this exciting.
And so, the Division returns untouched for Fall/Winter 2025. The same two colors, the same killer shape. It's joined by new "oily" suede iterations of the boot that 30-year-old YMC created with 158-year-old Grenson for their first collaboration a year ago. All familiar fare.
But there is also additional handmade newness afoot (afoot!) as the number of YMC x Grenson shoes releasing on October 9 via Grenson's website climbs to four.
For FW25, YMC and Grenson additionally debut a pretty classic variation on the penny loafer alongside a bookbinder leather derby that also quite timeless save for the toe cap that runs diagonally across the shoe's forefront.
Even the loafer, grounded it may be amongst all the ongoing loafer weirdness, is subtly different. Its toe is beefier than your average loafer, magnified by a similarly subtle fattening of the penny bridge. It's not as overtly dynamic as the Division shoe but you get the gist.
These kinds of understated touches epitomize the low-key revisionism inherent to the practice of YMC creative director Sage Toda-Nation. With both YMC and his eponymous label, Toda-Nation refreshes menswear timelessness with a dash of unexpected pattern-making or material innovation, recognizable shapes with a gentle twist.
The Division shoes, so perfect that they require zero refresh, prove the saliency of his approach.
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