Trainer news: Tom Ford, Adidas Stan Smiths, Nike RT, retail wars
We’re not even two weeks in and it’s already shaping up to be another good year for sneaker heads.
First, the surprise appearance of trainers (in thrice waxed leather or white velvet!) at Tom Ford’s AW14 menswear presentation. In fact the whole Tom Ford collection was casualised (below), so posh trainers aren’t too out of place…
Next comes the relaunch of Adidas’s classic Stan Smith tennis shoe which hits stores on 15th January. Adidas hardly even needs to pr this, the blogs have done it for them… Phoebe Philo is a regular Stan Smith wearer, while you couldn’t wish for better exposure than Gisele posing nude but for her bright white Stans in Paris Vogue…
And then there’s the announcement of a Nike-Riccardo-Tisci hookup. This makes sense for both Nike and Tisci. One has massively upped its high fashion game in recent seasons while the other has expanded his brand’s market by leading the trend for all things luxuriously sporty. I believe this is what you call a win-win situation. Here’s a teaser video from Style.com…
All that said, I’m not loving the story in the news about Nike and Adidas turning their backs on small retailers. Reports claim that the power brands have decided not to work with stores that sell less that £25K worth of product a year for them. These indie shops are going to seriously struggle if the reports are true and if anything, it’s also pretty short sighted of the brands. As we all know, It’s the mom n pop sports shops that spark a revival in a shoe like the Stan Smith. Without those stores feeding the early adopters, the bigger stores would have nothing to sell. The Office of Fair Trading is investigating…
[Photo credits:
Sofia Coppola: Interview magazine
Tom Ford: Now Fashion
Gisele: Paris Vogue]
