Part of the genius of Prada lies in how the Milanese luxury label finds the beauty in the quotidian. Rather than newness for the sake of newness, Prada interrogates familiar objects until they are rendered fresh. Through its lens, lived-in work pants are reborn as slacks of depth and plain weekenders are transformed into objects of extreme elegance.

But there is no better opportunity to observe Prada's studied brilliance than its footwear. And the Speedrock sneaker is a veritable case study.

Much like the recently revived Montecarlo sneaker was an opportunity for Prada to remind the world that it had cottoned on to the inherent appeal of luxuriously flat sneakers decades before any modern hangers-on, the Speedrock is symbolic of perhaps Prada's greatest strength.

That is, where its luxury peers attempt to draw opulence from well-trod routes, Prada's wandering eye pulls from any and everywhere.

Prada's Speedrock sneaker is a surprising reclamation of the climbing shoe, a hyperflat lace-up designed to hug the foot thus allowing for maximum grip.

It's not surprising because it's an unfamiliar form but because of how Prada elected to reinterpret the style. Whereas so many modern climbing and climbing-inspired shoes — which are currently the sneaker biz' hot newness — are basically sneakers with climbing-shoe energy, Prada's Speedrock is very close to being a straight-up climbing shoe, down to its next-to-nothing flatness.

And, whereas so many modern climbing and climbing-inspired shoes mirror the sleekness underfoot with snubness up top, Prada's Speedrock is a clever combo of technical or organic paneling — there's a meshy make and an alternative in sumptuous suede and the house's classic Re-Nylon — that recalls the house's own forward-looking boating sneakers, bringing it all back to where we started: with Prada itself.

The material interplay, parabord laces affixed to a Prada Symbole (or triangle, if you'd like), and subtle flashes of branding demonstrate Prada's typical design restraint, where a good design is realized as good when it can stand tall on its own merits.

In the case of the Speedrock, it wasn't enough for Prada to merely reiterate climbing motifs. It had to recognize the potential and make manifest something entirely familiar and entirely fresh.

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