EXCLUSIVE: Feels Like We've Met NIGO's New KENZO-PACE Sneakers Before
Brand: KENZO
Model: KENZO-PACE
Release Date: September 6
Price: $400
During KENZO’s Fall/Winter 2023 presentation in Paris earlier this year, Nigo presented his first two sneakers as the Japanese label’s artistic director.
The first, the KENZO-DOME, was officially revealed (and released) in June and immediately found itself added to my ever-growing list of Luxury Sneakers I Might Actually Wear.
The second silhouette was a retro running-inspired sneaker, a style that's since been revealed as the KENZO-PACE, a techy and aerodynamic shoe that revisits the aesthetics of the universe of running.
Designed to convey the notion of speed, the sneaker's upper features a funky combination of mesh while a shock-absorbing and lightweight outsole is said to be both tougher and heavier than that of a traditional running shoe.
The KENZO-PACE is undeniably pulling on the shoe strings of the ongoing Y2K trend with its metallic paneling, chunky laces, and mish-mash of fabrics on the upper. Though, if we're being more specific they also bear a striking resemblance to the New Balance 860v2, seasoned with a sprinkling of HOKA.
Meshy upper? Check. Voluminous outsole? Check. Single letter branding on the side? Check.
Let me be clear: I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, just merely pointing out what I'm seeing.
Still, it doesn't matter how similar the sneakers might appear to eye, because their price point certainly sets them apart. Where a New Balance 860v2 and most HOKAs tend to retail at around the $140 mark, the KENZO-PACE comes in at $400.
But hey, no hate to Nigo who, since becoming KENZO's Artistic Director, has elevated the label ten-fold, even with the sizeable weight of expectation he arrived with.
Truth is, Nigo always delivers. And his new KENZO-PACE sneakers, whether they resemble that of another label or or not, are proof.
