Starting Five: Product Highlights [June]
Dior, Sacai, OAMC, Hender Scheme, Suicoke, Valentino & Craig Green
Starting Five is a new series where we spotlight recent product highlights that have caught our attention. Staying up to date with footwear releases is almost a full-time job these days, especially with the current pace of drops, rumours and leaks. Here at CONCEPTKICKS® we only showcase the product that moves us, that sparks excitement or conversation within the studio. Often, this product deserves a little more attention than the fleeting-likes of social media…
Spotlighting structural soles, unlikely link-ups and revisiting tech, our June product update brings you key releases from recent weeks with three healthy collaborative efforts included. From Paris to Tokyo and London to Rome, we cover brand partnerships and solo specialities from the footwear world’s biggest and best.
Colour codes include sumptuous tans, browns and beiges accompanied by the perpetual presence of black and charcoal hues. Buttery suedes, translucent thermoplastics and waterproof nylons make up the material applications of the shoes that we’ve chosen for your viewing experience, whether you’re in the market for a new pair of sneakers or just want a feel of what’s out there. Covering a considered selection that may have passed you by, here are five product highlights that we can’t stop thinking about…
Hender Scheme Schlaf Boot
Notable for their artisanal leather craftmanship within both accessories and footwear, Ryo Kashiwazaki’s Hender Scheme rose to footwear fame through their ‘Manual Industrial Product’ line. The MIP releases over the years have included hand-made premium versions of popular silhouettes such as Nike’s Air Force 1, the Air Jordan IV and their own take on a German Army Trainer.
Outside of the sneaker world, the brand has created numerous boot styles which aren’t homages to other shoes, the most recent of which are the Schlaf Boots. Playing to Hender Scheme’s forte, the upper consists of high-grade leather connected to an adjustable nylon sock with no less than five toggles on each foot. The waterproof nature of the top section and the heavily-treaded, durable EVA sole provide a functionality that might be surprising given the brand’s track record of outcomes. Available in three super-wearable colourways of black, beige and khaki green, the Schlaf boots offer a utilitarian aesthetic with plenty of purpose.
Available here
Craig Green x Valentino Rockstud X
Perhaps one of the least expected collaborations of recent times is the Rockstud X, a technical and heavily rubberized sneaker from Valentino’s Garavani line and London-based menswear design Craig Green. Celebrating ten years since the debut of the Italian brand’s Rockstud accessory line, the new shoe echoes the legacy of luxury womenswear that Valentino is famous for, updating it with an outcome that feels both minimal and excessive at the same time.
The Rockstud shape has been used extensively across countless high-heeled sandals, sneakers and leather goods over the years, but is now being used as a source for the architectural form of the product rather than a design feature as in previous iterations. With a knitted upper and co-branding stamped into the rubber towards the heel, the colour line-up includes a soft blue-grey and khaki alongside monotone shades.
Available here
OAMC x Adidas Type O-9
After a multitude of successful link-ups between the German heavyweights and Italy-based OAMC, their most recent release is arguably the most genre-pushing attempt to date. The latest offering from the partnership between the two brands debuts in the form of the Type O-9, a multi-textured sneaker that arrives in three distinct colourways of Earth, Asphalt and Natural White with yellow, green and light pistachio used respectively for subtle accents.
With a nod to by-gone tech and its fusion with a more classic menswear aesthetic, the shoes consist of a subdued mesh and luxurious suede upper, with soft translucent TPU used for the toecap and ergonomic heel clip. The midsole utilises Adidas’ Microbounce technology of two decades ago in a nostalgic return to the past. Without fear of experimentation, OAMC has dived into the Three Stripes’ archive to produce a silhouette with a sole that reminds us of caterpillar tracks and a sleek, minimal and premium appearance across the rest of the shoe.
Available here
Nepenthes x Suicoke HAKU-AB
Adding to their plethora of excellent sandal offerings, Suicoke bring us the HAKU-AB in updated colours for the new season. While many are familiar with the brands more popular styles such as the MOTO, the KAW and the DEPA, there are several standout feature that set the HAKU-AB apart from the rest of the line.
With focal points of the shoes including a rotational ‘ATOP’ knob-based lacing system and a tabi style split toebox, the soft sensibilities that Suicoke are famous for remain. The buttery PU suede upper sits above the usual antibacterial footbed and Suicoke’s signature wedge-shaped outsole provides the traction needed for functional use. The three layered waveforms that make up the edge construction of the toebox and main strap provide a textural depth that contrasts with the smoothness of the suede, adding to the overall composition of the shoe.
Available here
Dior x Sacai Triple Sole
After training under the guise of Comme des Garcons and Junya Watanabe, Sacai founder Chitose Abe has effortlessly combined the formal and the casual in her native Japan for over twenty years. Gradually progressing in maturity and refinement, the brand blew into mainstream sneaker culture with their Nike LD Waffle in 2019 and followed it up with both High and Low Blazers as well as the more recent VaporWaffle.
Having turned Dior into the menswear brand-of-the-moment, Kim Jones continues his collaborative streak by tapping into Abe’s design talent for a capsule collection that includes tonal floral knits, leather luggage and textured outerwear. The footwear accompaniments include this unique Chelsea silhouette that appears to draw design cues from Wellington boots. From the top down, the boots carry the typical shapes and elastic opening that you are likely to expect, but morph from formal to functional as you travel down the upper. With a three-layered sole, additional toecap and dual pull tabs at the ankle, the rubberized nature of the tread and wrapping lifts these boots firmly into the future-sphere.
