LUXURY SNEAKERS!
However Vuitton has created the loudest buzz the sneaker industry has known by announcing its line created in collaboration with the ‘swagger on a trillion, billion’ Kanye West. The fact that West is also working with Nike on the Air Yeezy doesn’t seem to bother the French brand – different markets mix and blend until consumers forget who is borrowing legitimacy and image off whom. The only real problem with this collab is the impact it is going to have. By giving the keys to West, a personality from the street/urban art world, the brand hasn’t delivered a massive luxury added-value. As it did when working with Pharrell Williams (N*E*R*D), they are following trends rather than creating them.
So what can we expect in the future from this recent development? The reality is that luxury kicks are still intended to reach luxury customers only and the shapes are still very different from that of more sport-oriented kicks. The lack of any history is also a major turn off – very often they are nothing more than a mix of various sneaker parts, reassembled to create a melange a trois. However, we can expect that these Houses will end up tempting the ambitious sneakerheads to become customers, even at the heroic prices they charge. Whether we like it or not, luxury fashion houses are bringing fresh blood and dimensions to a market that many feel has reached its limits. This renewal, whilst far from the original template of the sneaker game, might actually end up helping the market get over the retro dead-end it is currently stuck in. Except for Visvim’s rather incredible FBT model, fresh ideas have been severely lacking in the past years and brands are running out of past catalogues and ideas faster than you can say je ne sais quoi!
Here’s a quick look at what the luxury sneaker industry has to offer right now!
Jay Smith & Guillaume Steinmetz
Translation Sebastien De Turennes
www.bkrw.com
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