Starting Five: Product Highlights [December]
Acne, Camper, Kiko Kostadinov, Crocs x Salehe Bembury & Yume Yume
Starting Five is a series where we spotlight recent product highlights that have caught our attention. 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…
Whether it’s creating organism-based forms from moulded eva, adding modern updates to centuries-old techniques or exaggerating the disposition of everyday objects, our current crop of selections showcases the brightest and best from today’s footwear industry. With the daylight hours depleting and Christmas fast approaching, we turn an eye towards the protection of boots and the comfort of clogs to give our feet the support they deserve. If you’re looking for a gift for someone special or to lighten your mood through the winter, here are five product highlights that you really shouldn’t miss…
Acne Studios Patchwork Suede Boots
Swedish luxury fashion house Acne Studios present their Patchwork Suede Boots for the current season. With a rustic and traditional appeal, the silhouette is constructed from a hairy black suede in patchwork square sections that leave the raw edges of the leather underside exposed in full view. This rawness is complemented by the contrast stitching that runs around the boundary of the shoe, fixing the upper to a durable crepe rubber sole unit. The stitching is finished on both sides of the shoe by trailing knotted string, a further nod to craft-based inspiration that is reminiscent of Visvim’s FBT and its Native American predecessors. The Patchwork Suede Boots are secured onto the feet by way of a zip opening on the medial side of the shoe, adding a sleek and modern touch to an otherwise rough-and-ready construction.
Available here
Kiko Kostadinov Maiden High Boot
For his namesake brand’s AW21 collection, Bulgarian designer Kiko Kostadinov introduces the Maiden High Boot. Featuring a knee-high upper of leather and nylon, the Maiden High resembles something of a glorified wellington boot due to its moulded rubber sole unit. The entire front section of the boot is crafted from premium Italian leather with a full length zip at the centre front of the shoe. This mechanism is used in partnership with two elastic gatherings within the rear nylon insert to allow for greater ease of movement both during wear and in securing the boots. With a warm fleece lining and high-grade construction, the Maiden High more than lives up to the apparel it complements as part of Kostadinov’s ever-maturing vision for the wardrobe of the future.
Available here
Yume Yume Cloud Walker Boots
Though best known for their Japan-inspired sandals, sneakers and clogs, Amsterdam-based Yume Yume make a perfectly executed entry into the realm of high-tops with the Cloud Walker. These technical hiking boots pair the brand’s expertise in sandals with a neoprene sock to blur the lines between categories. Taking strong design attributes from Yume Yume’s existing Hiking Sandal silhouette, the Cloud Walker features a faux leather upper with buckle-fastened webbing and logo-printed straps on each heel. The shoe sits atop one of Vibram’s ultra-durable treaded sole units, enabling a hold on the terrain-tackling capabilities that we have come to expect from the brand’s sandal offerings. The Cloud Walker comes in a choice of Black or White colourways that ooze the effortless minimalism of a Dutch brand suitably named after the Japanese word for ‘dream’.
Available here
Camper Karst Low-Top Sneakers
Having long been a mainstay of the quality mid-range sneaker market, Mallorcan brand Camper make no mistake in their release of the Karst Low-Top silhouette. A classic tennis shoe base is adorned with asymmetric lacing and contrast leather overlays to result in a polished and minimal upper. This form is continued into a sole unit crafted from moulded PEVA that features an organic and bulbous tread. The wrapped nature of overlays on the instep and toebox give the impression of the outsole encasing sections of the upper, bringing the components of the shoe together as a seamless unit. For the sustainably minded, the Karst Low-Top’s upper is crafted using leather produced by an audited Leather Working Group tannery and the lining is a 100% recycled mix of PET and polyester.
Available here
Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Clog
After a slew of successful New Balance collaborations that included that crazy orange colourway of the 2002R, New York native Salehe Bembury teams up with none other than Crocs for a twin pack of Pollex Clogs. Described by the brand as a ‘utilitarian exploration of form and function’, the Pollex features the breathability and water-siphoning capabilities that Crocs are famous for, with the addition of incredible levels of traction due to the multi-directional tread. The resulting aesthetic is a cross between planetary futurism and marine biology, reflected by the ‘Cucumber’ and ‘Menemsha’ colourways that appear to speak for plants and rocks respectively. With a release date of December 14th, Bembury’s Pollex Clogs draw their construction from the fingerprints of the man himself, with opaque foam and translucent rubber working in tandem across the entirety of the shoe.
Enter the draw here
