It’s no secret that when it comes to men’s fashion today footwear, especially sneakers, have a huge impact on the culture today. From designers like Virgil Abloh reimagining ten of Nike’s classic sneakers, which many of them eclipse the thousand dollar price range on the second-hand market, to him becoming the head artistic director to Louis Vuitton, the two worlds are merging. The world of rare sneakers and streetwear coming side by side to become just as coveted as high-end designer clothing just proves how much the culture is shifting. This change has been made clear in many recent fashion weeks by just observing what the crowd and models are wearing on their feet. This most recent Milan Men’s Fashion Week was no different for you could have seen a plethora of rare sought after sneakers on the feet of attendees and models.
This most recent Milan Men’s Fashion Week you were able to witness not just sought after sneakers from brands like Nike and Adidas but also from designer brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior. The fact that you are able to see designers like Raf Simons and Alexander Wang collaborating on sneakers with Adidas just shows that fashion is bridging the gap between the street and the high end. But also with high-end designer brands coming out with stylish almost sport-inspired sneakers like the Louis Vuitton Archlight, you can really observe the true influence of sneakers on fashion.
Sneakers in fashion today is something that doesn’t just bring together fans of streetwear and fans of high-end fashion but brings together two different generations of those who enjoy fashion. You see many important designers and artists today you have a strong connection to Jordan Brand and their classic retro sneakers. You can see the artistic director of Dior Kim Jones constantly in exclusive Jordans not just from his friend Virgil Abloh but rare collabs like the Jordan Fragment One. You may also see the inspiration that Jordan has had on other designers for their own sneakers. You can see this inspiration in many forms whether it is Yves Saint Laurent’s high-top court sneaker that takes many cues from the Jordan One shape and classic colorways to Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo taking many similar points of inspiration into his Basketball sneaker.
Whether many in the world of high fashion want to believe it or not the culture is shifting. It is shifting in a way that displays subcultures like sneakerheads taking a major lead when it comes to their inspiration on the world of fashion. Whether it be that these old school sneakerheads are the ones that are influencing high fashion today or that high fashion designers are just taking cues from this culture who has people lining up every week for a pair of shoes just based on their exclusivity. There is something satisfying to many if you have a pair of shoes that the person next to you on the street wasn’t able to acquire not because of the price tag but because you simply worked harder and you can see this at this most recent Milan Men’s Fashion Week and you will see it at many fashion weeks to come.
