The Super-Flat, Super-Frayed Vans Sneaker Screaming for a Beach Getaway
Not enough has been said about Vans' Super LowPro sneaker, frankly. The ultra-flat retro running-meets-skate shoe is a surprising stab at the flat footwear trend kicked off by Miu Miu but, unlike most of its peers, Vans' Super LowPro is also impressively affordable.
And though Vans has ample design cues that make it an obvious style contender, the Super LowPro is a real solid case study in how smart its sneaker-shaping cues really are.
Behold the frayed Super LowPro sneakers in white and brown suede, beautiful in their uncomplicated sleekness and sharp in their edgy, well, edges.
They live up to their name, with frayed seams that betray dangling threads, promising to only get more thrashed as they're worn. Nothing wrong with that, of course, though it's also more than a little Miu Miu-coded (the luxury label's first New Balance collab was intentionally distressed-looking).
Surely, though, no one's complaining.
The interesting thing here is that Vans is premiering its latest Super LowPro sneakers as part of a "Beach Getaway" pack that includes some suitably sunny shirts to match.
Presumably, the idea is that these no-stress shoes are best suited to a high-temp shoreline. Sounds pretty nice!
Available April 25 at Japanese stores and shortly after on Vans' website, where the Super LowPro retails for a budget-friendly $85, the frayed editions of the shoe are part of the Tokyo Design Collective's genius. This is a group of Japanese fashion insiders who soup up existing Vans and Timberland product — both labels are owned by VF Corp — with progressive design cues to give them a little extra flavor.
In the case of the frayed Super LowPro, it's quite welcome.
