Vibram FiveFingers: the most divisive shoe of summer 2021

An army of men of all ages, dressed in white linen shirts, khaki pants, tortoiseshell sunglasses on the Forte dei Marmi seafront or in the narrow streets of Portofino, and on their feet no flip-flops, no leather sandals, no espadrilles, but the latest iteration of one of the most divisive footwear in fashion. It's not a strange reference to Luca's sea creatures, but as I imagine the use and styling of Vibram's latest creation, a new version of the FiveFingers designed for outdoor sports, but actually, designed for the catwalk and street fashion in general. 

Fashion has been populated with divisive footwear for decades, but it's in recent seasons that it seems to have embraced the success of shoes such as Crocs, Birkenstock, Keen Shoes (thanks, Gucci) and last but not least the Vibram FiveFingers, the barefoot shoes for excellence that have always polarized opinions, between those who can't live without them and those who can't even look at them. For this summer the brand seems to have gone further, offering a convenient solution to all those who always end up late for dinners and summer aperitifs between one surf and the next. Once off the surfboard, the kayak, or the mountain trail, if you prefer that type of landscape, Vibram is telling you that yes, you don't even have to change shoes, you can go with the ones you already have on. 

Among the vast people of sneakerheads, who don't want to give up their beloved sneakers even with 40 degrees, and who categorically reject flip-flops and sandals, there are the new Vibram FiveFingers V-NEOP, which with that white midsole reach the definitive status of sneakers, maintaining the shape and comfort that made them famous. There is something of the Balenciaga Speed ​​Sock in the new FiveFingers, in that silhouette, which hugs the ankle, and in that vaguely elegant colour scheme that also recalls the Air Jordan 11 Retro, a sort of tuxedo on the feet, this time in a webbed version and with split fingers. The first temptation, therefore, could (or perhaps should?) be to combine a pair of elegant trousers, unlike the classic shorts or cargo we usually associate with the FiveFingers, a shirt, and off to an aperitif on the terrace. For the faint of heart, it's better to carry on that sporty and technical mood that also breaks through in the summer. 

Vibram has always played on that border between ugly chic and just ugly, a precarious balance that has earned it fame and fans, and which has found a trusted companion in Balenciaga, a Maison that has sublimated that intermediate aesthetic category to the umpteenth level, legitimizing Vibram and the FiveFingers also among the venues of the Paris fashion week. 

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

Vibram FiveFingers by Suicoke

The new FiveFingers are therefore nothing more than the final step in a path that has at the same time embraced pure fashion at 360° and on the other hand, has always kept its DNA and identity alive and intact, not hiding the ultimate attempt to finally enter the world of sneakers. How socially acceptable it is to really go out on the streets of Milan with these sneakers on, that is still to be seen...