Sharing is caring. We’ve known this and been taught this since the beginning of time. From YouTube careers to big-name collisions à la Gucci and Balenciaga this year, collaboration has become a sure-fire way to secure buzz, Instagram reposts and editorial coverage on tomorrow’s Google Alerts. Here, we take a look at three of our favourite footwear remixes of the season.
RICK OWENS X CONVERSE
Having debuted at Rick Owens’ Fall 2021 show on the Lido in Venice, the TURBODRK Chuck 70 transforms the Converse signature high-top silhouette with distinct Rickensian handwriting: tongue extended, and toe squared off. In true Rick Owens form, it is fashioned in his preferred monochromatic palette.
"When I think of Converse, I think of the black and white Chuck Taylors and the punk rock generation. These have always been iconic pillars of my aesthetic," says Owens. "Wearing Chuck Taylors, you align yourself with a generation that was experimental. There is a confident dynamic to the subculture."
JIL SANDER X BIRKENSTOCK
“We have worn Birkenstocks for as long as we can remember. They are comfortable to wear, but also comforting,” says Luke and Lucie Meier. “They have been with us in some remarkable places, from camping in the Canadian wilderness to sitting fireside in the Swiss Alps. However, the quality and integrity of Birkenstock is what convinced us to work with them.”
The Meiers are outdoorsy people. Birkenstock, the gorpcore essential that has found its way into the fashion canon, is a collaboration that just makes sense. A lineup of four styles includes revamps of the Arizona, the Milano and the Berlin, alongside the Velan, a brand new ankle-strapped clog described as “more playful, and a bit more feminine.” It’s a case study in how to make good, better. The answer: beautiful calfskin leathers and suedes that add a “squishy” (their words) goodness to designs you already know, wear and love.