Paris Fashion Week Men’s Spring ’24 Shoe Highlights: Adidas Originals, OTW by Vans, Saucony and More
While Pharrell Williams ruled the runway this week during his Louis Vuitton debut in Paris, there was plenty of shoe action across the City of Light.
Here, key highlights from Saucony, Adidas Originals, OTW by Vans and more.
Saucony
Saucony feted the “House of Originals” launch in Paris with an artist doodling in the space, and guests enjoying canapés and a DJ set by Jordan Page, creative director of Colour Plus Companie.
Page used the occasion to reveal his second collaboration with the brand. The new Grid Shadow 2 styles are influenced by The Trekker, a vintage Saucony hiking boot style from the ’90s.
“I wanted to tap into my love of nature and hiking. The original shoe is a performance runner, and I wanted to reconceptualize it as a trail running shoe,” Page said at the event, adding that the three colorways are inspired by coastal trail hiking, Arctic hiking, and woodland hiking.
The styles will launch globally in the summer. For now, they are exclusive to Shinzo Paris.
Rob Griffiths, who was recently promoted to global brand president at Saucony after a stint as EMEA managing director, said that Paris Fashion Week has been a key launchpad for Saucony for the past three seasons.
“It gives us an opportunity to really showcase the brand in a way that we want to talk about it. What you’re seeing here with the doodle is all about inclusiveness and being very creative. We use all of that in everything that we do in terms of product, terms of innovation,” Griffiths said.
OTW by Vans
To kickstart Vans’ new premium label OTW, which replaces Vault, the VF Corp.-owned surf, skate, and streetwear player built a giant skate/party set right next to Pont Alexandre III on the Seine in Paris, and hosted a DJ set by Donovan’s Sound Club on Thursday night.
Under the leadership of Ian Ginoza, Vans also set up a showroom under the historical bridge to showcase the first styles that are going to be released under OTW, as well as its collaboration with artist Sterling Ruby.
With regard to the new chapter of Vans, Ginoza said OTW is “a reorientation back to Vans’ true identity and true self and it’s through skateboarding.” He said Ruby, a former pro skater, has a deep connection to skateboarding, and collaborating made a lot of sense. “In his early years, he wore Vans exclusively, and in a lot of ways this is him coming home,” Ginoza said.
On top of the more branding-focused and experimental items, the preview also offered a sneak peek of the looks that are going to be available through selected retailers later this year. The most anticipated? Clash of the World, which is comprised of four icon Vans styles: Skate High, Style 36, Authentic, and Mid Skool.
Suicoke
The Tokyo-based Suicoke is doubling down on women’s offerings for spring ’24, as well as styles that branch out from the oversized sandals that the brand is predominantly known for. Highlights include a new sneaker style called Tred. It’s equipped with a new outsole that provides traction and comfort, and a heeled sandal style that’s based on its collaboration with Blumarine.
The brand also dished out various sandals in new color and material combinations. Some of them come with thicker materials, such as corduroy and suede. The styles target consumers who want to wear sandals in colder climates.
Demon
Next to Suicoke in the Slam Jam showroom was Demon, a previously dormant family-owned Italian outdoor brand being reimagined by a young family member Alberto Deon.
Trained as an architect in London, Deon offered a take on outdoor shoes, blending modern technologies such as AI, drone-scanning, and procedural 3D modeling with traditional Italian craftsmanship. The results are sleek uppers sitting on chunky soles, creating a dramatic clash that makes one hard to ignore.
Adidas Originals
Building on the Pharrell x LV momentum, Adidas Originals took over the cafe of leading fashion boutique The Broken Arm to celebrate the release of three new colorways of the Humanrace Samba.
The three-day-only pop-up Samba Café attracted a trendy crowd on the opening day on Thursday, with well-dressed guests queueing for iced coffees while browsing the new styles being displayed on the shelves. The cafe also offers curated menu items, exclusive packaging, and heat press Samba Café logos free of charge.
