Can Christopher Kane Make Crocs Happen?
This fashion week we’ve seen some curious matchups. Hood by Air partnered with the X-rated site Pornhub on some garments, and Baja East went kid-friendly with the Minions. Now in London, designer Christopher Kane is hoping to inject one of fashion’s most hated shoe styles with a bit of fashion credibility.
Striking a DIY thread, aesthetics-wise, Kane sent oversized knit cardigans laced with Lurex, a handful of furs, and cutout evening dresses down the runway. On the models’ feet? His new collaboration with Crocs, which were originally created as a boat shoe but are now universally worn by nurses and service people everywhere. But can a comfort shoe truly be in fashion?
Celebrating 10 years of his namesake label, Kane did the rubbery shoe in such colors as navy, as well as earth tones, before embellishing them with various raw gemstones. According to Footwear News, the styles will be put on sale for any fans. And if you’re skeptical Kane can manage to transform the shoes into a hot item, we can only refer you to opinions about Birkenstocks before the fashion elite got hold of them.
Bloggers like Leandra Medine of Man Repeller and Garance Doré, from her own blog, all began rocking Birks. That’s not counting celebs like Ashley Olsen and Anne Hathaway. J. Crew felt compelled to do a collaboration with the brand. That team-up was the first official collaboration for Birkenstocks, even though designers like Phoebe Philo at Céline, Giambattista Valli, and more have done their own versions. Their popularity grew so much that tons of brands began to knock off the design, and the company decided to pull its sandal completely from Amazon in the United States.
And what about Tevas? Designers from Marc Jacobs to Prada have done their own renditions of that ugly shoe, but of course, Balenciaga took the cake in that arena. Before long, everyone from Nordstrom to Urban Outfitters started stocking Tevas, even dropping a collaborative matching sock and sandal project. When Opening Ceremony collaborated with the brand, as the arbiters of cool, it was clear that no matter how ugly, this was the footwear to watch.
So, if you start to see these hole-y sandals around next spring or summer, you’ll definitely know who to trace them back to.
Read this next: The Teva x UGG Line Might Be the Most Divisive Shoes of Our Time
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