Footwear Debut at Paris Fashion Week 2024
This past weekend, Paris Fashion Week Men's Fall/Winter 2024 kicked off giving us a concentrated look into the past year of fashion whilst simultaneously giving us a glimpse of what is to come. With so many great shows, parties and pop-ups, it’s easy to get lost in it all. However, one thing in particular caught our attention- the incredible footwear debuting on the runway, at events or worn by the designers themselves.
Amongst the amazing footwear that surfaced all over the internet like the Timberland Louis Vuitton collab, were loads of other great footwear items that made their first appearances. Commes des Garcon’s project with Nike, men stepping out in ballet flats on the Dior runway, and a crazy removable Chahu sole on Feng Chen Wang’s Chuck 70’s, were just a few other standouts for us.
We take you through some fire footwear that debuted at Paris Fashion Week Men's Fall/Winter 2024:
Comme des Garçons x Nike Air Max TL 2.5
Comme des Garcon and Nike are not new partners and have brought us some incredible designs over the years. With this latest collab, CDG has decided to focus on the Air Max TL 2.5 from 2006, bringing this updated design in both white and black. According to Comme des Garçons, rather than just making a different colourway, the brand has decided to “re-imagine” the design by cleaning up some of the components of the original sneaker. Some of the elements that CDG has refined is includes removing the big Nike swoosh and reducing it to a small, subtle swoosh on the upper, as well as tuck the shoelaces into the interior of the shoes to have a streamlined upper.
Louis Vuitton x Timberland
Streetwear has always seen Timberland’s going in and out of the limelight and 2024 seems like a big comeback for this iconic staple. Pharrell, who is Louis Vuitton Men's Creative Director, shared a video of the house’s collaborative Timberland work boots, which bore both brands’ logos on the tongue and an LV monogram pattern on the inside or outside, depending on the pair. These debuted on the runway of the LV show, revealing a total of different 10 styles- all different versions of the classic wheat nubuck which is synonymous with Timberland. The range included (amongst others) the classic 6-inch- one with the monogram embossed on the inner tongue and gold eyelets, another with an LV logo replacing Timberland’s tree on the lateral heel, and a monogram debossed pair. In addition to the iconic lace-up styles, there also appeared to be slip on work boots, in various designs and lengths. We’re excited to see where Timberland goes this year, with this being one of many new endeavours the brand is debuting in 2024.
Dior Men's Ballet Flats
With men’s footwear expanding past just sneakers and slides, an unexpected footwear piece to make an appearance twice this Fashion Week was the men’s ballet flat. Though the pump, ballet flat and mary-jane trend has overtaken women’s fashion, 2024 might just be the year for men. Ballet flats were the shoe of the moment in Kim Jones’ fall/winter 2024 Dior men’s collection. Echoing a dancing slipper while also drawing on masculine eveningwear traditions, Dior’s new men’s ballet flat is featured in a San Crispino leather construction in black. There’s also a softer silk or satin ballet slipper with elastic straps that go along the top of the foot, which features an all-over diamond quilting stitched upper in black, taupe, burgundy, and purple colourways. Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain show also featured a patent leather ballet flats with a Red Kiss motif on the to-box.
Junya Watanabe x New Balance 1906R Loafer
This collab merges two of streetwear’s favourites together- loafers and New Balances, to bring us an interesting yet very wearable shoe. Appearing in both white and black, the pair features a traditional leather loafer upper and penny toe piece. The rest of the shoe sees the New Balance 1906 toe guards, midsole and sole, giving a technical design to a once sartorial shoe. The side panels utilize the same leather panelling design which is synonymous with the 1906’s. The shoe is rounded off with a Junya Watanabe Man tag on the tongue alongside a small New Balance embellishment on the side.
Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Juniper
Salehe Bembury is a name that resonates with innovation and design in the sneaker world. Known for his influential work with Versace and Yeezy, and especially his partnership with the Crocs Pollex Pod collection, which has become a cult favourite. The anticipated Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Juniper is a departure from the clogs and slides we've expected from his Crocs collab. Bembury’s recent social media teased this new silhouette, which he also stepped out in during Fashion Week this past weekend. The sneaker sees a low-top design with an internal bootie, with mesh and neoprene. Underfoot sits a chunky rubber sole unit featuring the 3D fingerprint design Bembury is famous for. Co-branding is found atop the tongue alongside the model's name- Juniper.
Feng Chen Wang Chahu Sole Chuck 70
Feng Chen Wang is a Chinese-born, London-based menswear designer at the forefront of a new generation of fashion talent emerging from China. Not fully a shoe, but this was a notable one for us with her new removable Chahu sole worn with her upcoming Chuck 70 sneaker, staying true to the bold conceptual designs that Wang is known for. According to Wang, the 3D molded sole, called the Chahu, is inspired by the shape of a deformed teapot with irregular edges that are curved three-dimensionally, with tea being a theme throughout her entire Fall/Winter show.
Clarks Originals x Martine Rose
As with the loafer, the Mule is another footwear design that has seen a more formal once unfamiliar shoe to streetwear, finding its way into the most casual of closets. Martine Rose continues to be one of the most exciting designers in menswear. Usually absent from the Paris Fashion Week schedule, this year she held a surprise party-like show to showcase some of the looks from her Fall/Winter 2024 collection. The show gave us our first look at her upcoming work with Clarks Originals. The Clarks showcased in the show featured shiny brown crocodile leather on the uppers. Clarks’ showroom also previewed orange, black pony hair, and baby pink suede styles.
UNDERCOVER x Vans
Jun Takahashi offered balance with his presentation of UNDERCOVER FW24 “WONDERFUL AND STRANGE.” Theming it around Twin Peaks. More than that, the show presented four new collab designs with Vans. Kicking things off, the two have again reworked the Era, covering it in Vans’ signature checkerboard pattern. Both feature a twist on UC’s D-Hand motif, rounding things off with the standard UNDERCOVER JUN TAKAHASHI logo on the midsole and red co-branding on the heel. The other design re-imagines the Sk8-Hi, which UC previously reworked in SS02. UC’s “ANARCHY IS THE KEY” slogan which has been utilized since the early ’90s, including in the Supreme SS15 collection makes a return. The first colourway sees black cover all of the upper except the tongue and the base panel, while the second model is all-black at the upper with a white jazz stripe. Matching the Era, its sole unit appears in white with Vans’ typical black line going around the shoe and a co-branded hit in red at the heel.
Loewe Skate Sneaker
Though not notorious for their sneaker offering, Loewe always has some of the best footwear designs in the game. This Fashion Week, Loewe’s new skate sneaker stood out from the pack. The low-top models reference popular skate shoe designs, elevated with a slightly exaggerated toe box. The sneakers come in both solid and two-tone colourways that seem to harken back to the Authentic canvas sneaker model from Vans. This model was seen in a black and white combo as well as a light purple, and multi-coloured terry upper version.
