More and more people are into flashy designer sneakers. Nadia Badarudin tells you why
IF you walk the aisles of designer brands at any major shopping malls in the city, you will notice that these labels share one thing in common: Glammed up, fancy sneakers.
Rather than the plain, white design, these designer sneakers come in unimaginable interpretations that go beyond function and comfort.
The trend of designer brands featuring sneakers in their collection is not new.
Prada released its first sneakers in 1996. In the mid 2000s, Louis Vuitton worked with Kanye West before the latter triggers the current craze in adidas' Yeezy Boost.
Karl Lagerfeld is said to have upped the game for sneakers at the Chanel’s couture show in Paris when his models catwalked in custom sneakers made by couture shoemaker Massaro in January 2014.
However, it is more likely the trend is inspired by streetwear. With today’s dress code skewing towards laidback looks and dressing down (including office wear), the streetwear look has become the ‘it’ standard among fashion enthusiasts.
Streetwear staples like hoodies have become must-haves while the trendier crowd are swapping dress shoes or stilettoes with designer sneakers.
Meanwhile, labels like Fendi and Marc Jacobs have opted for safer options, by coming up with simple high-cut slip-ons or teaming up with sportswear brands and rely on the latter’s forte.
The latest example is Stella McCartney and adidas' first all-vegan (made of recycled polyester) version of the classic green-tabbed Stan Smith.
Some seemed to have been put under pressure to come up with quirkier versions, with each carrying a hefty price tag, to boot. Gucci goes overboard with the hiking-boots-inspired Flashtrek, complete with crystals wrapping around the bulky kicks.
Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia turned heads with his hunky, three-soled Triple S with loud colours, which is nicknamed "the Frankenstein of footwear" by critics.
The latest to jump onto the bandwagon is Jimmy Choo with The Diamond Sneaker embedded with Swarovski crystals.
IMAGE AND INVESTMENT
For businesswoman Norish Karim, buying designer sneakers is more about boosting self-image as well as to reward herself.
Her collection includes Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana and Stella McCartney, with each retailing more than RM2,000.
“I’m fashionable and as a businesswoman, it’s important to look presentable. When it comes to casual wear, I like to complement my style with comfortable yet stylish sneakers. I usually go for both brand and design.
“Besides image, I like to reward myself with some luxuries once in a while,” says Norish, who runs fashion label Norish Kareem Couture and a soon-to-be-opened open boutique cafe in London.
“Most of the sneakers give me warmth and comfort, especially when I travel abroad,” she says, adding that she keeps her sneakers in their original boxes and send them to shoe spas for maintenance.
Fashion retail resale expert Akmal Mohamad says some of his customers treat designer shoes as an investment, saving them for the resale market.
“I have a customer, who is a businessman in his 30s, and his designer shoe collections are nicely stacked in transparent boxes.
“He wears some occasionally but most are never worn because he sees them as investment pieces. He sells his wares when the time is right, which is when the resale value of the sneakers shoots up,” says Akmal, who is founder of Ohmaicloset, which specialises in the retail of new and pre-loved branded fashion luxuries.
According to Akmal, the young businessman has already pre-ordered Virgil Abloh’s debut shoe design for Louis Vuitton despite not knowing the release date yet. The highly-anticipated high-top leather shoes with ankle strap were showcased at the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2019 in Paris.
While money is not an issue for buyers of designer sneakers, there is a small number of cases where customers turn to resellers like Akmal to buy in instalments.
“For them, it’s the thrill of getting the shoes after all the hype. The craze for limited edition or rare releases — no matter how cool or terribly chunky like the Balenciaga Triple S — is something only they themselves can comprehend.
“For these resale sneakerhead players, it’s the value that matters. For instance, an epic collaboration between a high-end fashion house and streetwear brand like the Louis Vuitton x Supreme last year is highly valued in Malaysia because the shoes were not released here,” he says, adding that the resale price of this edition is about RM7,000 compared to its original price of RM2,800.
Despite all the marketing hype or personal reasons which have driven the purchase, the bottomline is that sneakers are meant to stay forever only for the reason we love most: comfort.
As for the designer’s artistic and creative touch and their glorified exaggerations, well, anything goes in fashion.
But, one’s willingness to splurge on branded, mutant-looking sneakers with bling-blings minus the comfort is another story.