How Our Legacy's Modestly Flat Shoe Became a Sleeper Non-Sneaker Sneaker
Creating a flat shoe that stands out in a post-Samba world is no easy feat when just about everyone is already cranking out barely-there soles. But Swedish fashion label Our Legacy has found a new way to make flat sneakers interesting: Don't make them sneakers at all.
Our Legacy's well-named "Sneak In" shoe is incredibly of-the-moment, looking like a spicy bowling shoe mashed up with a lace-up low-top sneaker in the vein of adidas’ Japan.
The Sneak In’s square toe and semi-shiny Italian leather give the shoe an obvious luxe factor that makes it feel more posh than sporty but its sleek Vibram sole and integrated lacing system maintain the athletic aura of a sneaker. It's a bowling shoe but with actual swag.
The term "best of both worlds" feels terrible cliche and yet so terribly apt.
The Sneak In's luxe leanings are balanced by a fairly approachable price. At $470, Our Legacy’s new shoe is significantly more expensive than famous flat shoes like the adidas Samba and PUMA Speedcat but compared to luxury slim sneakers like Miu Miu’s $1,200 New Balance and Dries Van Noten’s $800 Seude sneaker, it's quite reasonable.
The price tag certainly hasn’t cut into the shoe's popularity, either way, as Our Legacy’s Sneak In is perpetually sold-out online, even at Our Legacy's third-party stockists, despite zero marketing.
ven the brand-new white colorway quietly released in early May as part of the Scandinavian label's summertime "SPLASH" capsule has already sold out of several sizes.
Commenters on Our Legacy’s Instagram are even begging for restocks under totally unrelated posts. Shooters shoot.
Sneakers that aren't quite sneakers don't often look as fashionable as Our Legacy's Sneak In though there are a good number of them out there.
New Balance's 1906L loafer was a recent catalyst for a separate but similarly minded shift, one that inspired peers like HOKA, Camper, Vans, and PUMA to fuse formal footwear with sneakers. And the one-two of the Samba boom and Miu Miu New Balance hype has inspired high-end flat sneakers like the Bottega Veneta Sawyer and Prada's Collapse sneaker.
These are all fine shoes, some even quite stylish, but none hit the high of the Sneak In, which is cool because it’s barely a sneaker at all.
Where most other flat shoes ape the appeal of traditional sneakers, the Sneak In's unexpected mix of luxe leather and streamlined silhouette hits like a breath of fresh, hype-free air.
The draw of the Sneak In comes from its elusively plainness, giving it the intangible You Know Cool When You See It quality that can't be bought. Unless you pony up $500, that is.
