Infinite Digging #10
Sneaker talk! On Puma Speedcats, Salomon X Sandy Liang Speedcross 3, New Balance Breeze, and ASICS Gel-Styrax
I’ve been on a hunt for shoes! I’ve caught myself in a pivotal space where my closet is craving a refresh, and shoes are the main focus. As of late, I’ve been rotating between my New Balance 1906Rs and the ASICS X Kiko Kostadinov UB6-S GT-2160, with occasional appearances from my Axel Arigato Leather Rain Boots and my Wallabees. They’re all great and comfortable shoes that have the versatility to suit both office outfits and weekend outings. However, it’s time for something new.
At some point in time, my obsession with shoes surpassed fiscal responsibility, and I focused on getting anything and everything I wanted in my collection. But over time, I noticed that many of the shoes that I once “had to have” often just sat in my closet with no wear. Over the last four years, I ended up donating and gifting most of my rare hype sneakers, leaving myself with well-loved “beaters.” I’ve become much more mindful of my spending, a trend aligning with Bain’s Consumer Health Index indicating “a more cautious consumer mindset…in [comparison] to last year.” So, when the desire for new shoes arose, I started to carefully explore my options. And while I haven’t made a final choice yet, here’s what I’ve been considering.
Puma Speedcats OG “Black Mauve Mist” and Pink White
Let’s start with the shoe that we’ve been seeing the most this season. From Ahluwalia’s SS25 Runway to the sneaker’s revitalized tongue detailing in their recent collaboration with Open YY. Even Outlander Magazine dedicated a feature speculating whether it could be the next “it” sneaker. The low-profile sneaker was created in 1998 with an intended use for Formula One racing, but the German sneaker brand has different plans for the model in 2024, reintroducing the sneaker in hues of black, soft pink, baby blue, and earth-tone brown for a start.
Maybe it’s the soft color palette on this shoe or the way it resembles a ballet slipper in sneaker form, but I can’t get it out of my mind. And with Puma enlisting the help of ASAP Rocky and Rihanna to revamp their position in the sneaker conversation, I don’t expect them to slow down with this model anytime soon. Puma is closing the year out strong, and I can’t wait to see what more they have in plan for 2025.
Salomon X Sandy Liang “Speedcross”
Speaking of ballerina-esque shoes, the Salomon X Sandy Liang “Speedcross” immediately comes to mind, with its reinterpretation of the classic Salomon Speedcross embellished with pink lace-up ribbons. It’s the perfect crossover of sporty and feminine, a style that didn’t exist in the early days of sneaker collecting. Previously, women’s sneaker releases were often a reflection of what performed well in the men’s market or a male-dominated silhouette revamped in a soft colorway change. Now, women have carved a distinct space within the sneaker world demonstrating a shift toward unique silhouettes and customizations catered to women’s contemporary style rather than just a colorway change. Sandy Liang has responded to this desire in the women’s market beautifully throughout her collaborations with Salomon and her Speedcross 3 is a great representation of that evolution.
New Balance Breeze
Not to say that it’s all due to Nike’s disruption as the fall of the #1 sneaker, but I’m seeing more innovation across the sneaker industry as brands experiment, adjust, and look to capitalize on the current shake-ups in the market. The New Balance Breeze is a prime example of this trend.
The New Balance Breeze, traditionally speaking, is 1000% a dad sneaker, through and through. It has a wide fit, OrthoLite insoles for comfortability, and lightweight cushioning. Now, I would like to take this time to thank whoever stood up at the New Balance meeting and pitched the idea to transform this ordinary Golf Dad sneaker into a Mary Jane sneaker complete with a midfoot strap design. IMO, this is New Balance’s version of the Nike Air Rift sans the Tabi shoe and I’m a fan. I’ve only seen it in the three colorways pictured–grey, black, and white– which is very aligned with New Balance’s classic palette. I’m hoping the brand collaborates with a women’s line that’s willing to experiment with a change in colorways to breathe new life into the shoe and move it beyond its golf dad roots.
ASICS Gel-Styrax
I’ve been paying attention to Kiko Kostadinov’s work at ASICS for the larger part of this year now. This next excerpt is pulled from Infinite Digging #4:
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Bulgarian designer, Kiko Kostadinov, who has been working with ASICS for the past seven years, bringing in one successful shoe after another (read the history and shoe timeline behind the collaborators here). What started as a one-time collaboration followed by grand success evolved into the sneaker company’s first designer-led collaboration in 70 years and evolved once again when the designer became the creative director of ASICS’ SportStyle division alongside the fashion brands’ womenswear designers, Laura and Deanna Fanning. From brand-new silhouettes to existing ones with new colorways, the partnership continues to bring hits after another.
Spanning clothing to footwear, Kiko Kostadinov Studios and ASICS banded together to form a unisex line called ASICS NOVALIS focused on “[reinterpreting] the fundamentals of ASICS and its ethos of ‘Sound Mind, Sound Body’ to go beyond athletic performance and into the practice of everyday life.” The modernization of ASICS’s athleisure wear under Kostadinov’s direction has been a pleasure to watch and I appreciate how the designer brings us along every step of the design and ideation process with their archive Instagram page @novalisnovalisnovalis.
I’ve been enjoying the recent trend of fusing sneakers and mules–from this shoe to the Nike X Supreme Clogposites. Their latest release features a mountain-inspired clog sneaker featuring graphics pulled from their apparel line. There are too many options to choose from, I might just let this decision-making process play out a bit longer…
