Junya Watanabe x Oakley? Yep, In the Flesh
Junya Watanabe MAN's seasonal presentations are collab feasts, no question about it. For Fall/Wintner 2023, the brand maintained its partnerships streak with New Balance, Carhartt, Palace, and The North Face team-ups. Oakley Factory Team was also amongst MAN's stacked lineup, with the frequent collaborator delivering more stealthy shoes with the COMME des GARCON sub-label.
Now fresh into the fall season, Junya Watanabe MAN and Oakley's shoes are finally here. Well, one of them, at least.
Watanabe and Oakley's Flesh pairs are currently up for grabs at select Japan stores, presenting that familiar laceless silhouette dressed in all black, much like the New Balance 650s...and almost everything else in the Watanabe universe.
The collaborative Flesh — previously explored by Brain Dead, by the way — arrives with a neoprene and suede build, which provides some textural contrast and, thus, slight albeit tasteful variations in the dark shade.
Oakley's branding marks its spot on the slip-on shoe's toe box and pulls tabs, while a three-point fit sole rounds out the shoe with slightly chunky flair.
It's worth mentioning that a Mary-Jane-style Flesh sandal and Chop Saw Mule joined the collaborative Flesh pairs on the FW23 runway. So, we're assuming MAN and Oakley's other shoes will follow launch in the coming days — hopefully, globally.
Even after those releases, there's more Junya Watanabe x Oakley where that came from. Keep an eye out for Spring 2024.
