Can you accept "split-toe shoes"? In fact, this kind of footwear design concept is not uncommon in daily life, just like the "flip-flops" that people wear most often, as well as traditional Japanese wooden sandals, all of which use a split-toe structure. But now when it comes to "split-toe shoes", the first thing that always comes to mind is Maison Margiela Tabi, Nike Air Rift Br, which are more recognizable casual and sports shoes, but the concept of "split-toe shoes" is not only divided into two, and the designer Takahiro Miyashita's personal fashion brand TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist recently joined hands with SUICOKE The new collaboration shows a more uncommon aspect of this design system – the "five-toed shoe".
It's also surprising to say: Takahiro Miyashita, who has cooperated with SUICOKE many times, did not choose classic shoe models such as KAW-CAB, MOTO-VS or Depa this time, but joined hands with A special branch line of SUICOKE, VFF BY SUICOKE, to bring this pair of "five-toed shoes". Looking at the design of the entire pair of shoes, there is not much personal color of Takahiro Miyashita, and the upper of the shoe that uses the combination of different materials to show its functionality more, which undoubtedly arouses the curiosity of many people: Why did Kiyohiro Miyashita join hands with SUICOKE to launch this shoe that seems to be "not fashionable" at all?
Coincidentally, Takayuki Miyashita is not the only one who has evolved "five-toed shoes" into a fashion product, looking back at BALENCIAGA's interpretation in the 2021 Spring/Summer vacation collection, you can also faintly see the figure of "five-toed shoes". The next thing to say may make you feel a little interesting: Back in 2018, the ins account @crimesagainstshoemanity posted a spoof image on the Internet, printing BALENCIAGA's brand logo on a pair of Velcro "five-toed shoes". This move may be just a simple complaint that BALENCIAGA is always launching "ugly shoes", but I didn't expect it to come true after 3 years.
Successively favored by BALENCIAGA and Miyashita Takahiro, the "five-toed shoes" have actually attracted more people's attention. At a time when anything is likely to become a hit, will such shoes also become the next trend?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" > Before it became a novelty fashion, the "five-toed shoe" was actually a pair of running shoes? </h1>
The shoe, called "Toe Lace Up," came at a time when the fashion industry was shut down due to the pandemic, and the BALENCIAGA team, including creative director Gvasalia, had to work from home to design the new season. In a later interview, Gvasalia said she was hooked on a pair of Vibram's "five-toed shoes" at the time, which we generally call "barefoot shoes": "What better way to wear at home or in isolation than a pair of shoes that makes you feel barefoot?"
Summing up from Gvasalia's remarks, the biggest reason why he chose to launch this series of "five-toed shoes" for the brand's Spring /Summer 2021 vacation collection is the comfort and ease of wearing he experienced first-hand – he really said that, in fact, the original intention of the "five-toed shoes" is probably this.
Back in time in the 2000s, a pair of shoes with a five-toed divided design officially became a member of the Vibram brand. Speaking of Vibram, I believe that no one will be unfamiliar, this company that specializes in the production of rubber soles provides a durable, non-slip "gold outsole" for countless outdoor and sports brands. However, in comparison, Vibram's self-launched footwear products are not so widely known, but the appearance of this pair of "five-toed shoes" has made a considerable change in people's perception.
At that time, Vibram FiveFingers was definitely a new concept that most people had never seen before, and it was the brand's footwear designer Robert Fliri who proposed the idea: "We have five toes, and when they can move independently, grasp the ground, and you can really feel the surface under your feet, the body can do whatever it wants." 」
The experience of living in the Italian countryside gave Robert Fliri the idea of creating such a pair of shoes, because he often worked in the fields, wearing ordinary shoes could not be easily moved, and frequently wearing shoes and taking off shoes made him feel very cumbersome. As a result, Vibram FiveFingers, which give wearers a barefoot experience, came into being, with Fliri creating a soft upper that fits the arch like a glove, a split-toe design with a Vibram rubber outsole, and weakening the midsole of the shoe to make the paw more aware of the contact with the ground.
Looking back at the 2000s, what kind of shoes were people wearing? Nike, adidas, Reebok and other sports brands continue to carry out the reform and innovation of sneaker midsole technology, and more and more cushioning materials and technologies are being injected into the sneakers we wear every day... In this context, the starting point of Vibram FiveFingers with barefoot as the starting point is actually the opposite, after all, so many footwear brands are trying to highlight the importance of sneakers and footwear technology to people's lives.
Have the "anti-tunes" Vibram FiveFingers been eliminated by the times? The answer is clearly not, because today it not only represents Vibram's new paradigm of footwear design, but also has countless fans, and even stepped into the ranks of running shoes that are popular with athletes. Vibram FiveFingers was associated with running at a marathon held in Boston, where the well-known "barefoot runner" Ted McDonald applied to wear Vibram's "five-toed shoes" to participate in the race, and this debut made it attract the attention of "barefoot runners" around the world, and the "unsociable" voice emitted by Vibram also gained more and more "listeners" at this time.
Compared with ordinary running shoes, Vibram FiveFingers need a longer running period for people who are not used to running barefoot, in order to make the sole of the foot fully aware of the ground and the surrounding environment, when choosing such running shoes, not only need to adapt to the extraordinary lightness, but also need to be accustomed to adjusting their running state according to the feedback of the foot to the ground, so if you want to wear such a pair of shoes to run, there is still a certain threshold of entry, which also makes Vibram FiveFingers It is still very "niche" for most runners.
But at the same time, some people like Gvasalia began to notice the adaptability of such shoes in daily life, and unconsciously gave the "five-toed shoes" another reuse function in addition to sports and training shoes. Of course, Gvasalia's design for BALENCIAGA explores more of the fashion definition of this strangely shaped shoe in the context of the new era, and the crowd attracted by it is no longer just the "barefoot runners" of the 2000s, and young people who are keen on the new generation of footwear culture can also understand the different charms of the Vibram FiveFingers evolved in the changing times through this kind of innovative fashion.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" > these "five-toed shoes" options may be just right for those of you who want to be "barefoot"</h1>
Looking back to the present, the "five-toed shoes" can be applied to the life scene has been more than professional running sports, in addition to daily life travel, home, there are also many outdoor enthusiasts choose such shoes to hike the mountains, by the Vibram rubber bottom to provide a strong anti-slip, wear resistance to meet the needs of many mountaineers. With the increasing use of "five-toed shoes", the number of consumers who prefer "five-toed shoes" is also increasing. So, if you want to get a pair of "five-toed shoes" that fit, what are the good options? This time we have brought 4 recommendations to all readers.
SUICOKE Nin Lo rubber finger sneakers
Price: 29,600 JPY
At the beginning of the article, we mentioned that Takahiro Miyashita cooperated with SUICOKE to carry out a new "five-toed shoe" joint name, but this time as the SUICOKE side, it is not the main line, but a special branch line called VFF BY SUICOKE. VFF is actually an abbreviation for Vibram FiveFingers, and this branch line is also a branch line for SUICOKE, which has a long-term cooperation with Vibram, to create "five-toed shoes".
Compared to the Vibram FiveFingers we know, the shoe has obviously made a big change in the silhouette and material selection of the upper. While the outsole is consistent with the overall shoe type, SUICOKE offers a mid-top option similar to "sock-sleeved shoes", with different textures of fabrics showing layering in its simple upper part, with the pressed foot lines playing a role in layering.
Vibram KSO EVO Cross Training Shoe
Price: 10,940 JPY
If you want to get a pair of authentic "five-toed shoes", the best choice is Vibram. Since the launch of Vibram FiveFingers in the 2000s, the brand has also begun to optimize and improve the series of shoes, constantly adjusting and adapting to the current consumer orientation, thus bringing more possibilities to Vibram FiveFingers.
The Pair of Vibram KSO EVO Cross Training Shoes we see today is very different from the original Vibram FiveFingers in terms of overall structure, which is positioned as a running training shoe, so it is designed with a collar detail with hemming to prevent foot wear, a thick tongue part and a Fastfit quick tying system that can adjust the fit of the instep and the body, which also takes into account its needs as a pair of running shoes. It is worth mentioning that the outsole of this Vibram KSO EVO Cross Training Shoe is not presented in the track-type outsole that the brand is best at creating, but is arranged in fine but very good rubber particles, which is also to enable runners to better perceive the road conditions and adjust their running status.
BALENCIAGA Black Finger Toe ROC sneakers
Price: 185,000 JPY
When it comes to why BALENCIAGA wants to create a pair of "five-toed shoes," Gvasalia's response is, "Because of laziness." But if you look closely at these BALENCIAGA Black Finger Toe ROC sneakers, you can see that this is by no means designed for a laid-back wearer.
The biggest highlight of the overall design of the shoe is the spring-shaped heightened design of the heel part, which is easy to think of the new sneaker X-Pander launched by BALENCIAGA this season, it seems that Gvasalia really wants to classify the high heel into the long-term development plan of the brand's sneaker line, but combining such a design with the "five-toed shoe" greatly weakens its characteristics as a "barefoot shoe" - it seems that it is not so comfortable? But such a creative design does give the experience to balenciaga's fashion language. It is also worth mentioning that BALENCIAGA Black Finger Toe ROC sneakers are made from recyclable materials throughout the shoe, which is also a support for the fashion field where energy conservation and environmental protection are the first.
SPECTUSSHOECO. Day Trekker Lite (Eye Sole)
Website: WEAR
Price: 40,700 JPY
This pair of "five-toed shoes" may be different from our commonplace Vibram FiveFingers, and it is clear from the outside - this pair of SPECTUSSHOECO. Day Trekker Lite does not show the conventional "five-toe shape", but more like the use of the "five-toed shoes" design concept, the toe part of the sneakers has been creatively transformed.
SPECTUSSHOECO. The new shoe brand that is gaining popularity in the Japanese market was founded by designer Tosinosuke Takehara. Before the establishment of the brand, Tosinosuke Takehara had already tried to integrate fashion elements into the design of the foot The Coacher, and SPECTUSSHOECO. The creative protagonist has transformed into a more functional sneaker. The Day Trekker Lite that appears today, the upper is made of CORDURA® tear-resistant material, paired with Vibram's professional outsole, the antibacterial POLIYOU® insole system, and... A BOA fast lacing system that is most directly convenient for people's lives. It can be said that this pair of SPECTUSSHOECO. Day Trekker Lite has long since transcended the concept of "five-toed shoes" that people think of, and it is not an exaggeration to call it a "functional collection" created by Tosinosuke Takehara.
The question raised at the beginning of the article: Will "five-toed shoes" become a new fashion trend in the near future? The answer I gave was optimistic, but not entirely certain. In fact, sneakers and products specially created for a certain sport are now in a stage of transition from "specialization to popularization", and some of these products are quite mature at this stage, such as basketball shoes, skateboard shoes, outdoor storm jackets, fishing vests, cycling pants... Now their consumers are not just people with sports needs, but have a larger audience, and the reason for this is that they already have another identity as a fashion item.
Recall the process by which these pieces are given a fashion meaning, which is driven by brands, designers, influential KOLs, and to some extent, they have a certain universality in themselves. Combined with the above conditions, the "five-toed shoes" can actually be generally satisfied - not only the blessings of BALENCIAGA, Miyashita Takahiro, SUICOKE, but also the universality of "circle powder" Gvasalia and other consumers who attach importance to wearing comfort. Just imagine, when "five-toed shoes" are given fashion connotations by more brands, designers, and stylists, and more and more consumers have since accepted the dissemination of this style aesthetic, then maybe "five-toed shoes" really have the opportunity to become the next "blockbuster"?
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