Rick Owens Turned a Fish Into a Shoe (EXCLUSIVE)
No one knows better than Maxfield that, right now, Rick Owens sneakers have never been better. The designer's inflated sneakers were always hot and Owens has only fanned the flames with all manner of wild newness: thick laces! Even thicker low tops! But anyone can sell Rick Owens shoes. Only Maxfield quite could make them its own.
Maxfield's collaborative Rick Owens shoes, unostentatiously titled "Vintage Sneaks by Rick Owens for Maxfield," are as wild as their name is not.
Owens designed these shoes specifically for Maxfield, replacing the typical leather uppers of his puffy-Vans-looking Vintage Sneaks, by far one of Owens' best and most approachable shoes, with the skin of the pirarucu fish, also known as arapaima or paiche. Whatever you call it, this thing is a beast: the pirarucu is one of the world's most massive freshwater fish, often weighing in at 10 feet and 200 pounds.
Its skin is more commonly harvested for cowboy boots than sneakers because the thick scales are as sturdy as they are soft. In lighter hues and with more pronounced ridges, pirarucu leather can look fairly freaky but, because this is a Rick Owens joint, Maxfield's exclusive shoes are cut from black pirarucu.
The result is quite delicious, not unlike pirarucu itself. The shoes' glistening leather uppers are overtly sumptuous when the light hits, and otherwise tasteful. Another subtle but smart touch hides inside, where the tonal Rick Owens insole is replaced with a stark red number, cobranded like an artist's proof.
That, along with the sneakers' exhibit-ish name, gives the project an air of artfulness underscored by its scarcity. Maxfield's website and stores will only ever offer 24 pairs of the collaborative sneakers in men's and women's shoes come December 20. That shouldn't come as too surprising, given how rarely Rick Owens ever creates collaborative shoes. In fact, outside of partnerships with sportswear brands like Converse and Moncler, he never does them. A collaborative mainline Rick Owens shoe is all but unheard of.
This may be Maxfield's first stab at exclusive Rick Owens footwear but it's a longtime partner. The venerable luxury hub was one of his earliest supporters and has been big-time proponent of the 64-year-old's work for nearly three decades, selling a robust assortment of Owens goods that includes his furniture, kid's clothes and fog machines.
As Owens expands his empire into retrospectives and mouthwash kits, a fish-leather shoe is but a mere flex of his imagination.
You could look at it as reflective of how good the Vintage Sneaks are, that this shape can be cut from fish leather and still look this good. Or see it as symbolic of Owens' deep ties to family-owned boutiques like Maxfield, many of which have believed in his brand for decades and continue to keep the dream alive.
Or take it as a fish-leather shoe. Because it's also definitely that.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit HS Shopping for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.
