The collaboration game is still going strong in footwear. Teaming up with unexpected players of the industry on dedicated designs is still seen as an effective way to revisit one’s style codes and familiar look while creating a moment of buzz and, hopefully, extra sales.
New and old tie-ups popped up at shows and presentations here, with five (plus one) partnerships standing out for their eye-catching results.
Comme des Garçons and Phileo
Extra soles amplified the walk – and occasional stomps – of models parading at Comme des Garçons, where Rei Kawakubo served avant-garde fashion to express her feeling of anger.
“This collection is about my present state of mind. I have anger against everything in the world, especially against myself,” said the designer in a provided statement. Her mostly black collection came with matching shoes developed in collaboration with Paris-based footwear brand Phileo, founded by Phileo Landowski.
The result were two derby styles featuring a chrome-free cow leather upper and oversized polyurethane soles, which were developed exclusively for the Japanese brand and conferred a melted look to the shoes.
This is the second tie-up between Comme des Garçons and Phileo, following in the footsteps of the colorful styles created for the fashion brand’s spring 2024 collection in September.
Cecilie Bahnsen with Asics and Diemme
Also coming together once again, Cecilie Bahnsen and Asics displayed their latest joint effort on the runway of the Danish designer. For fall 2024, the brands developed brown and black sneaker designs covered in glossy flowers that injected a dash of romance into the sporty styles.
The two parties have been collaborating for few seasons now, having teamed up on a limited upcycled selection of shoes for Bahnsen’s spring 2023 collection, when the designer added whimsical touches like floral embellishments to 50 pairs of deadstock sneakers. For spring 2024, the same motif was translated as black sequined flowers embroidered on matching sneakers, to evoke the combination of couture and hyper-feminine detailing with Asics’ technical and functional world.
Yet this season, the activewear brand was not the only partnership spotted on Bahnsen’s catwalk. The brand also teamed up with footwear specialist Diemme to create heavy, short boots that were hand-embroidered in the designer’s Copenhagen atelier.
Published By and Grounds
A regular fixture among the most exciting accessories brands in Paris, Published By unveiled its first venture in footwear in collaboration with Japanese shoe company Grounds.
The Austria-based label established in 2020 by Christoph Tsetinis and Ruby Wallen has rapidly made a name for itself for its sculptural and gender-neutral items and chromed accessories realized through processes borrowed from the automotive industry rather than fashion.
For its first step in the footwear arena, Published By reimagined two of Ground’s signature styles, dubbed “Jewelry” and “Moopie,” featuring a textured 3D tech knit upper and the distinctive bubble soles with a sleek black finish.
The two styles also came with a removable hiking gaiter made from a technical water-repellent fabric. Fastened to the shoe using a Published By aluminum hardware and black toggle-fastened ropes, these accessories were printed with branding and details on the material compositions that further enhanced its outdoor and functional vibe.
The capsule collection will be released later this year at selected stockists that already carry the two brands, as well as on the respective online stores.
Veja and Études
No need to wait for the collaboration between Veja and Études, instead, as the pair of sneakers they co-developed launched during fashion week with a dedicated event in Paris.
The two brands also looked at the world of the outdoors to reimagine Veja’s technical hiking style “Fitz Roy” in shades of light gray and details paying tribute to the landscapes of the Vercors Massif mountains in the French Prealps, that are dear to Études’ founders.
“We grew up in Grenoble in the Alps, we feel close with what a pair of hiking shoes should deliver. At the same time, we know that most of the people will want to wear it in the city to punctuate a look. This is the mindset that made this collaboration unique,” said Aurélien Arbet, creative director of Études, which he co-founded with Jérémie Egry in 2012.
The made-in-Brazil design had an upper crafted from Trek-Shell, Veja’s new technical material made of water-resistant recycled polyester, and featured geometric patterns reminiscent of towering mountains, in addition to both brands’ initials on the sides. Rubber soles came with multidirectional crampons for enhanced stability.
Marking the collaboration, a campaign photographed by Thomas Rousset at the Parisian Tour Montparnasse landmark ironically evoked the duality between the outdoorsy and urban spirits infused into the style by portraying a passionate climber in a corporate environment.
Bonus: 13 09 SR and Suicoke
Still officially kept under wraps, a sneak peek of a new collaboration to be released later this year between 13 09 SR – the accessories brand Serge Ruffieux launched with Emilie Faure in 2021 – and Japanese shoe label Suicoke was offered to buyers and press during fashion week.
The tie-up marks the latest in a series of collaborations Suicoke has championed throughout the years, encompassing those with cutting-edge fellow Japanese brands Takahiromiyashita The Soloist, Bape, Doublet and Fumito Ganryu; fashion labels such as Missoni, Moncler, Lanvin, Blumarine and Alanui, and specialists like workwear brand Carhartt WIP and footwear companies Marsèll and Dr. Martens, to name a few.
