Style Recap: All the Sneaker Heat from Pre-Fall 2019
Raf Simons takes on 1970s workwear, Givenchy channels Greek mythology, and Dior puts on the sexiest show in the galaxy; we unpacked what Pre-Fall meant for sneakers in 2019 and beyond ...
CYBORG YOUR SNEAKERS, SON
Kim Jones linked up with Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama to throw down one of the most impressive shows of 2018, Dior installing a monolithic android structure resembling the kind erotic robots inked by Sorayama in Tokyo. With the looming 12-metre-high android acting as a quasi-spiritual centrepiece to the show, Dior utilised cherry blossoms to serve as the groundwork for some wild, iridescent footwear. Channelling Marc Jacobs’ Ninja Boots and various military builds from the Yeezy boot archive, Dior transformed the runway into a Neo-Tokyo of biomechanical stylings, android rings, and inexplicable dino-designs.
Expect futurist footwear trends to ramp up in 2019, with Jun Takahashi’s take on Waffle Racers, adi’s Future Pacer, and the A-COLD-WALL* Zoom Vomero all taking it back to a kind of retro-futurism fit for the 22nd (yes, 22nd) century.
SQUAT LIKE 'YE
The heat at Versace’s collection in New York started before the doors even opened, with Kanye West repping some mighty fine looking Christian Tesser—designed Yeezy BOOST 700 VXs. The Wave Runners take on some flashy reflective detailing from designers Steven Smith and Tresser, who worked together for the first time since Reebok back in the 90s. Young Thug also brought in some sneaker steeze, wearing the Versace ‘Chain Reaction’, a luxury sneaker that again stacks the sole and thins the wallet.
Inside, the models were also seen stomping Versace’s SS19 Chain Reaction sneaker. Bearing some striking similarities to Nike’s Air Max 270, the Reaction is hit with some material mashups, mesh operating on the lateral and vamp, while smooth textile is present on the heel.
Let’s see if Versace can step on Balenciaga’s heels, and the luxury sneaker market more broadly.
RAF GOES FULL RAF
Raf Simons went complete Raf Simons for his latest campaign with Calvin Klein, the Belgian designer tasked with the reinterpreting American workwear aesthetic. Central to the 1970s-style lookbook was the latest sneaker offering, Raf pushing his chips forward on the notion that the chunky sneaker reign will continue well into 2019. Looking like a somewhat conservative, hybrid build of the sneakers that dominated the international style scene in 2018, Simons' gargantuan, divided sole was seen in multiple colourways across the lookbook.
FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN
Clare Waight Keller took on the Myth of Icarus as the central theme for Givenchy’s Pre-Fall 2019 show, a cautionary tale warning of humankind’s vaulting ambition. (The novel’s protagonist falls to earth after flying too close to the sun in waxen wings.) But nevermind the wings, Keller went for some low-top minimalism to wear on the feet, with something resembling the Givenchy Urban street sneaker stepping away from the hefty builds of 2018 and keeping the design gratuity in check; no, these subdued soles won’t be melting anytime soon.
