The Original Vibram-Soled Sandals Are Getting Weird With It
A few hard-wearing straps and a thick Vibram sole. The recipe to create a pair of Suicoke sandals remains unchanged since the Japanese footwear label’s first shoe designs debuted over a decade ago, back in 2013.
Without deviating much from this time-honored sandal formula, Suicoke shifts classic open-toe footwear and statement-making slip-on oddities.
The Japanese footwear company now offers a wide spectrum of appreciably weird shoes with deviating levels of left-field design choices, perhaps best epitomized by its recent run of funky collaborations.
No surprise that Suicoke would go on a tear ahead of summer but this stuff is all so fun.
On the conservative side, there’s Evisen Skateboards and Chaos Fishing Club’s take on the Suicoke Moto sandal. The slip-on, double-strapped slider maintains its typical build but with new hits of branding alongside a pink-colored lining — tasteful but ultimately subtle touches.
In stark contrast to that sandal, however, Toga's newest range of Suicoke creations go for glittery broke.
Toga, known for its leather shoes with thick Western-style ornamentation, infuses its foam Suicoke slip-ons and single-strap sandals with metal-studded cowboy flavor.
It’s both orthopedic and amped up on yeehaw energy. And yes, it’s as weird as it sounds.
Nigel Cabourn, maker of functional military-infused menswear, takes on Suicoke’s Mogi sandal for a shoe that's maybe a bit less weird but is instead impressively stylish..
Beefed up uppers and soles make for shoes that're quintessentially Suicoke (note that ever-present Vibram footbed) but also satisfyingly Cabourn. Military sandals but even cooler.
Space Available’s Suicoke collaboration, meanwhile, is no throwback. This is the future (hopefully) of footwear: the environmental design studio’s sandals are made from recycled nylon, ocean-bound plastic, biodegradable footbeds, and ECOSTEP Vibram soles, a form of recycled rubber.
Another flavor of eco-conscious embellishment is epitomized by the handstitched Suicokes sewn up by the Sashiko Gals, a collective of Japanese grannies hand-embellishing sneakers under the guidance of Japanese clothing line KUON. Here, they've demonstrated their sashiko acuity with uniquely stitched sandals woven with brightly colored threads.
Summer is prime sandal-wearing season, duh. So, you'd expect a deluge of fresh sandals.
But still, even for a shoemaker with a long history of eccentricity, Suicoke is getting pretty weird with it. No complaints here.
