EXCLUSIVE: Viktor & Rolf's 30th Anniversary Gift Is a Surprise Sneaker Collab
Viktor & Rolf has long since de-emphasized ready-to-wear in favor of its ingenious couture collections — recent highlights include wearable 3D lettering and inverted gowns — but Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are still unmatched at manufacturing marketable moments. For their latest and perhaps greatest wearable experiment, Viktor and Rolf's eponymous brand is expanding beyond Couture Week virality and ever-popular fragrances into collaborative Superga shoes.
Yes, Viktor & Rolf's first-ever sneaker — its first-ever sneaker collab, even! — is a partnership with humble Italian footwear stalwart Superga, intentionally timed to coincide with Viktor & Rolf's 30th anniversary in 2023. As usual, Viktor & Rolf zigs when it'd be so easy to zag.
Not that Viktor & Rolf isn't in good company by partnering with Superga: the shoemaker's other recent collaborators include similarly lofty luxury label Alaïa and 10 Corso Como, the tastemaking Italian multi-brand retailer.
Offered in an exclusive limited edition that'll be released July 12 on Viktor & Rolf's website, Viktor & Rolf's Superga collaboration comprises a pair of couture-inspired sneakers indicative of the cheeky opulence that's Viktor & Rolf's oeuvre since its inception three decades ago.
Viktor & Rolf first took on Superga's 2790 platform sneaker, completely reimagining the otherwise understated shoe with typically opulent flair. Plush satin replaces the shoe's typical canvas upper, lining, insole, embroidered eyelets, and matching double laces, all complementing the graceful sheen of the oversized bonded bow affixed to the shoe's toe.
The oversized is a signature Viktor & Rolf touch, gracing everything from the house's "Bonbon" fragrance to its wedding dresses
Another quintessential Viktor & Rolf element makes its way to Superga's 2708 high-top platform. Retaining the complete satin construction as its sibling sneaker, this collaborative shoe boasts hand-sewn flowers made of satin and organza, dotted with Swarovski crystals.
Again, the flower motif has informed Viktor & Rolf's fragrance line but is a recurring motif in their couture shows, dating back to at least 2003's "Flowers" show and 2005's "Flowerbombs," which inspired a scent of the same name.
Classic Viktor & Rolf made new, just in time for the label's 30th birthday and wearable, finally, on your feet.
