When Did Luxury Sneakers Get Good?
I’ve said it before and I'll say it again: historically, luxury sneakers have sucked.
When any damn label has attempted to recreate the style of sneakers seen across the streetwear market, but from an opulent point of view, they've more often than not looked like something you’d buy from a Walmart, just $1,000 more expensive (take Gucci's MAC80, for example).
Lately, though, I’ve found myself actually appreciating what's been popping off some of the the more splendour conveyor belts, most notably Dior’s new-look B33, a sneaker dropping later this year as a part of its Denim Tears collaboration.
KENZO can now proudly add itself to my list of Luxury Sneakers I Might Actually Wear too, that’s after the LVMH-owned label revealed the KENZO-DOME, its first sneaker designed by artistic director Nigo.
It’s no secret that since Nigo's arrival at KENZO in September 2021 the brand has been on a steady upward trajectory.
As the first Japanese designer to front the house since its founder Kenzo Takada, Nigo – who is the founder of BAPE – arrived carrying a sizable weight of expectation, yet so far he’s delivered. On the apparel front, anyway.
Nigo’s first sneaker for the house, titled KENZO-DOME, has everything you’d expect from a luxury shoe — plush suede, white-grained leather, and a perforated upper decorated with KENZO’s simplistic motif — it just looks good too.
Slated to be launching in June 2023, the streamlined silhouette draws inspiration from the mid-1990s skateboarding era (I mean, look at that chunky tongue) with its name also deriving from a Parisian skate spot amid the grounds of Palais de Tokyo.
But, what do both KENZO and Dior have in common with their latest sneaker endeavours, I hear you ask? Both Nigo and the co-designer of Dior’s B33, Tremaine Emory, are legends in the realm of streetwear, of course.
So, luxury labels, if you’re listening: the secret to creating a good sneaker is simple really: tap up and OG and let them get to work. You can thank me later.
