Style Recap: Sneaker Takeaways from MFW SS19
It takes some aesthetic prowess to monster the surrounds of Italy, and Milan certainly made a go of it. Tri-breasted models walked the runway, Louis Vuitton defied the structural makeup of the human heel, Prada’s Cloudbust burnt retinas, and Li-Ning threw it back to a kind of analogue futurism. These are all the key sneaker takeaways from Milan Fashion Week SS19.
The battle for luxury sneaker supremacy is on. In February, Louis Vuitton dropped the Archlight, a sneaker that threatened to permanently reconfigure the genetic makeup of our heels. The thousand-dollar sneaker is picking up some real momentum in Milan, with multiple colourways repped across the week. Luxury sneaker mainstay Balenciaga hit back with the Track sneaker, a hiking/lifestyle hybrid that’s seen as much love in Milan as the chunky sneaker godfather, the Triple S. Other fringe builds like Maison Margiela’s avant-garde anamoly — the Fusion — also saw some action across Milan. Who’ll stomp their way to the top without any orthopaedic bills?
Prada’s Cloudbusts are everywhere. Gigi Hadid preempted the trend on day one in Milan, arriving in minimalist grey blend before the sneaker burst into orbit in a range of blinding neon light. The bold, minimalist aesthetic suited the kind of futurist inquiries made by some of Italy’s biggest brands over the week, and ran somewhat anachronistic to the chunky builds expounded by almost every brand on the market at the moment. Can Prada’s Cloudbust create the necessary flood conditions to drown the dad shoe?
FILA wants to be more than the Disruptor. Yes, their silhouette is flexing on almost every other sneaker on the market, but FILA made some bold moves in Milan. After originally leaking the ‘Fendi Mania’ collection back in February, the FILA x Fendi capsule is dropping some inspired sneaker builds as part of the link up, including a utilitarian field boot that looks like it’s been pulled from a motocross track in 2042. Elsewhere, FILA channeled their first brand spokesperson, tennis star Bjorn Borg, to provide aesthetic direction for their SS19 show.
Li-Ning’s Furious Rider ACE has been generating some heat in Milan. The strange, mixed material build suited the aesthetic taste of Italy’s high-end runways. The Furious Rider incorporates a kind of analogue futurism and detailed retro layering reminiscent of 90s motherboards. Expect Li-Ning’s Furious Rider to be a bit of a circuit breaker over the coming months.
There were silhouettes seen across Milan that should’ve been buried deep within Italy’s ruins, but none more so than Marni’s Big Foot. The calfskin build is 60 per cent sheep, 40 per cent calf, and 100 per cent questionable. It looks like someone put the child lock on your sister's ice skating sneakers.
The Roman Empire has fallen. Take only what you can carry with you to Paris.
