When Levi’s veterans Sean Barron and Jamie Mazur launched their up-cycling luxury brand RE/DONE in 2014, they re-invented an American classic—namely denim—by reworking vintage pairs of jeans into brand new ones. The fashion industry embraced the idea wholeheartedly and now they are at it again. This time the duo focused on another cult category—sneakers.
Today, the brand released its first collection of kicks comprising of three classic silhouettes—the 70s tennis shoe, the 80s basketball shoe, and the 90s skate shoe.
“Growing up in LA, lifestyles are innately active. As a kid, I lived in Air Jordans on and off the basketball court, and Stan Smiths when I took up tennis. We wanted to recreate the nostalgia behind cult classics like these in a way that feels luxury and authentic to RE/DONE. Make shoes that will remain cool regardless of era,” said Jamie Mazur in a press release.
True to their sustainable roots, each shoe is handmade responsibly in a family-owned atelier in Italy. All three styles are crafted from the highest quality leather in light hues with navy accents and are available exclusively on Net-a-Porter.com and Shopredone.com.
RE/DONE’s foray into sneak production is just the latest example of a luxury brand dipping its toes into what is arguably the most popular footwear category these days. In fact, it’s fair to say that we are now witnessing peak sneaker culture and its boundaries are going well outside of fashion.
Fashion designers are no longer the only creative minds to release footwear collections. Even artists such as Takashi Murakami have expanded their portfolios by designing limited-edition sneakers.
Auction houses, such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s, have now added sneakers to their sales, and some pairs are going for eye-popping sums of money. Last year, Sotheby’s sold a pair of 1972 Nike Waffle Racing Flat 'Moon Shoes for $437,500, setting a new world record.
“As lifestyles change and adapt, we are continuing to see a broader more inclusive view of luxury [...] The rise of sneaker culture follows these same patterns we see across other luxury touchpoints, from handbags to these collectors’ objects—high design, artist collaborations, limited editions, rarity, and quality materials,” said Caitlin Donovan, head of sale for handbags and accessories at Christie’s.
Virgil Abloh, the multi-talented designer of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections, recently told ArtNews.com that sneakers may be the art form of this generation.
“This generation may value sneakers more than a Matisse because [the Matisse] is not attainable,” the designer added.
So now seems like the perfect time to invest in a pair of cool kicks, because, hey you never know how much they’ll be worth in a few years.
