Kiss the Curb with Lanvin’s Luxury Skate Shoe

The cyclical nature of fashion is often timed in 20-year intervals, with the style du jour actually just a rehashed version of something that was cool from decades ago. Enter the Lanvin Curb, a luxury take on the chunky skate shoes of the early 2000s. Just don’t expect to actually skate in them.

Those that grew up in that era may recall some regrettable – cringeworthy, even – choices on the sartorial front that mostly involved this sort of bulbous sneaker. However, the French label Lanvin, the oldest fashion house in operation, are hoping to distance this design from being worn by angry jorts-wearing kids named Kyle. Instead, they’re looking to highlight co-signs by figures including Virgil Abloh and Travis Scott at various Fashion Weeks.

So, what sets the Curb apart from its skate store ancestors? For one, there very likely isn’t any other sneaker of this style using nappa leather for its upper. Those kaleidoscopic, double-waxed herringbone woven laces are also pretty unique. And while there are pseudo-skate elements like the reinforced bumpers and low-profile rubber cupsole, it’s probably best to keep the Curb away from any actual curbs.

The Lanvin Curb is available now in black and white colourways from Aphrodite.