Shoe Trends
Mens shoe trends as of late are starting to show a entirely new style. It appears that we are working to get rid of shoe strings or at least provide shoes with alternatives. Maybe it's because of my age but I personally think the state of basketball shoes are stagnant and boring. It seems as though Michael Jordan has no more new shoe ideas and the rest of the industry never even had a pulse without his influence. The generation that he impacted so heavily has reached an age where they aren't wearing sport influenced sneakers as much. If you look at one of Maison Margiela's latest shoes, it seems like it combines the feel of a basketball shoe, the convenience of a slip on, the comfort of a moccasin and the casualness of a boot. You can't go wrong wearing these at any event.
5 years ago these would be referred to as 'moon shoes' but I think because we've exhausted ideas on sneakers, this is a new wave of sneaker. I think it brings up an interesting threshold that we're at in fashion where innovation is valued because it shows one's unique style. Royal Cuffs would look lovely with this shoe. We think it could give the shoe 20 different kinds of looks. But apart from that the shoe looks good simply because it's different, and different is definitely "in", not only in the fashion world but in society as well. Yesterday, Complex reportedly showed a sneak peak of Kanye West's x Adidas Yeezi's that are set to hit stores later this month. No word on whether it's official or not but they follow the same path. One thing we know firsthand is that if it's not the norm, people will be quick to criticize it. That goes for anything in any industry except technology. Innovation in technology seems sexy, maybe because the focus is so much user friendliness, as with other products the innovation clashes with everything you know so you're immediate response will most likely be negative. Over time once you realize everything is the same, people will realize that there is value in originality. I'm excited for the next 12-18 months in shoewear and I think it will have a larger impact on how we view the world because people will be dressing in attire that looks completely foreign.