The best sneakers seen on the catwalks during the past Fashion Weeks
A recap of the new silhouettes for the FW19 season
January 22nd, 2019
The Men's Fashion Weeks are officially over and, after the break for the Paris Haute Couture, they will start again in New York City at the beginning of February, before leaving the spotlight to the womenswear. Between London, Milan and Paris we've spotted a great number of sneakers, both on and off the catwalk. Yes, because despite the strong trend of the new tailoring, perfectly exemplified in the suits of Louis Vuitton and in the jackets by Dior, sneakers remain a leitmotiv of the men's closet, especially if they're the result of a collaboration with a giant of the industry. Nike of course dominates for the number of collaborations, followed by Converse, adidas Originals, PUMA and ASICS.
We've gathered here the best sneakers seen on the runways of these Men's Fashion Weeks.
C2H4 x Nike
LFW opened with an unexpected collaboration. The LA based brand reworked one of the most iconic Nike silhouettes, the Air Force 1: total black finish, lots of Swooshes, 3M laces and details on the upper. A big classic of the street culture that continues to remain a must-have.
Studio ALCH x Nike
A very coveted and anticipated collaboration. Mini Swoosh brought on the catwalk a new reiteration of the Nike Air Max 720, the sneaker that will dominate this year's market.
Xander Zhou x Nike
This is not the first time that the English designer with Asian roots has collaborated with the sportswear giant. While during the previous season the result of the collaboration were the React Element 87, this time we saw a fresh new pair of Vapormax, with red details and sole, white Swoosh and trekking shoe-inspired laces.
Kiko Kostadinov x ASICS
The Japanese streetwear brands meets the Bulgarian designer, again. After the sneaker released in the last months, the collaboration continues with a new sneaker, with a higher upper, green hues, and the big Asics logo on the side. Definitely interesting.
Feng Chen Wang x Converse
We were looking forward to this collaboration. On the runway of the FW19 collection the iconic Chuck Taylor revisited according to the vision of the Chinese designer make their comeback. What has changed is the sole, which now features new inserts that almost look like a second sole. A new silhouette is characterised by the layering of different fabrics, all in grey nuances, and the small lettering Girl Power.
Versace
The only sneaker on this list that isn't a collaboration with a sportswear brand belongs to a luxury fashion house that in the last few months has managed to compete against Nike and all the other sports label. Salehe Bembury, Versace Senior Director of Sneakers and Men’s Footwear, brought on the runway another chunky sneaker, the Squalo, after the huge success of the Chain Reaction. The silhouette is still big, especially in the sole, and it's enriched by another detail, the word Versace in Italic on the heel of the shoe.
AMBUSH x Converse
After the collection designed for Nike a few months ago, Yoon Ambush has decided to create a new silhouette with Converse for the presentation of the FW19 season of her brand. The unisex model draws inspiration from the vintage military winter boots Converse used to produce for US military. The shoe features a raised sole, layered seams, and utilitarian markings like Keep double laced to hold firmly. One of the best sneakers of this Fashion Week.
OAMC x adidas Originals
Not one, but two collaborative sneakers. The first, Type 01, can boast a leather upper with a rubber midsole, while a elastic strap runs across the laces. The colorways of the sneaker range from bright orange with light blue details, to pastel pink and total white. The second shoe, Type 02, is a real tactical boot with a leather upper, rubber midsole and a heavy tread.
White Mountaineering x adidas
The Japanese brand collaborated with the German sporstwear giant on a sneaker that follows the treck shoes trend. The sleek silhouette, with a higher heel, is characterised by different materials and different nuances, the logo of the Japanese brand on the heel, the two-tone lateral Three Stripes, and by a sporty and contemporary touch.
Han Kjobenhavn x PUMA
The creative director of the Danish brand, Jannik Davidsen, has designed this silhouette in collaboration with PUMA. The sneaker, named Alteration, was presented in different nuances, in more soft tones like grey and white, and in a brighter and pop version, with a yellow upper and a red sole.
GmbH x ASICS
Pastel hues for a winter sneaker. This is the main innovation of this sneaker, which features also a GEL sole, the GmbH logo and the layering of different materials.
UNDERCOVER x Nike
The relationship between the brand designed by Jun Takahashi and Nike is stronger than ever. For this season the collaborative sneakers were two. The first was a Air Max 720 (yes, again), this time in a vivid color blocking version, with the phrase We make clothes not noise printed along the side of the sneaker’s Air bubble, while the shoelaces have been swapped out for ribbon laces. The most impressive silhouette, though, was definitely the sneakerboot, still without a name. The boot is characterised by the use of the React technology for the cushioning system, while the upper features leather and nubuck overlays. A zip runs down the entire forefoot.
SACAI x Nike
Chitose Abe presented the FW19 collection unveiling a new collaboration with Nike, which produced two hybrid sneakers, one being the LDV and Daybreak and the other one the Blazer and Dunk. Both models were redone in stark black and white and neutral grey colorways, with unexpected details, like the fur insets on the tongue of the LDV/Daybreak.
OFF-WHITE x BAPE
Technically this sneaker was spotted on a catwalk, but not worn by a model. Virgil Abloh was in fact the one sporting this shoe, during the final bow after the Louis Vuitton show. The sneaker features a crocodile leather-like upper in black, a contrasting white shooting star and OFF-WHITE branding on the shoe laces and medial sides of the shoe. It's still unclear whether this was a unique creation designed exclusively for Abloh or if an official collaboration between Virgil and A Bathing Ape is on the way.