Last week, Paris was filled with a who's who of designers, influencers, and celebrities for the Fall/Winter 2020 men's shows at Paris Fashion Week.
The main focus of the week-long event is the clothing, but as streetwear and luxury continue to become increasingly intertwined, the sneakers on the runways or released during the week have become just as big of a deal. Since there were so many, we decided to round them all up. Take a look at some of the best collabs that debuted below.
Casablanca x New Balance 327
As spotted on Westside Gunn at Casablanca’s runway show, the French-Moroccan menswear brand, designed by Charaf Tajer, debuted its first collaboration with New Balance. The upcoming collaboration is centered on the New Balance 327, a new silhouette inspired by ‘70s New Balance sneakers. Casablanca will be the first to formally introduce these shoes to the market and will drop the 327 in four colorways–Casablanca’s signature orange and green along with classic black and white pieces. Casablanca’s first collaboration with New Balance, and first product partnership overall, will arrive this April.
Louis Vuitton Fall 2020 Sneakers
Once again, Virgil Abloh nods his head to classic basketball sneaker silhouettes with a new Louis Vuitton sneaker design he unveiled. Unofficially nicknamed the “Comet” because of a shooting star LV logo on the sneaker’s lateral side, the monogrammed mid-top sneaker takes clear inspiration from the Air Jordan 3 and 4 models. Although an official release date has not been announced, previous release dates for the Louis Vuitton 408 Trainer suggests they could drop in late October.
WHO DECIDES WAR x Puma Sky LX Mid Lux
Ev Bravado unveiled his second collaboration with Puma at his runway show for WHO DECIDES WAR. Bravado presented his own unique vision of four different Puma silhouettes, the Future Rider Ride On, Erupt Trail, Ralph Sampson Low, and the Puma Sky LX Mid Lux. A basketball sneaker originally released in the ‘80s, the Puma Sky LX was recently relaunched as a lifestyle shoe. Bravado is one of the first designers to rework Puma’s classic basketball sneaker by adding details such as lace webbing.
Rhude x Vans Era
Rhuigi Villaseñor’s third collaboration with Vans was also showcased at his official Paris Fashion Week debut. Rhude’s eye catching paisley bandana motifs come through with this multicolored Vans Era low-top sneaker. For those not feeling the brightly colored patchwork, Rhuigi also showed subtle cream white options available in a monochromatic or black and white colorways.
Off-White x Air Jordan V
Virgil Abloh’s work with Nike is nothing new. Since 2017, the multi-hyphenate has released dozens of sought after sneakers with the sportswear brand. But many fans have been eager to see the next Air Jordan silhouette Abloh would update. While leaks of Abloh’s Air Jordan V have been floating around for months, the Off-White show in Paris provided the first official look. Differentiating it from previous looks, Abloh’s on-feet shot showcased that the random circles across the upper could be removed to create miniature holes, a detail that has become a signature for Off-White apparel and accessories. While nothing has been confirmed, the collab is currently rumored to launch in February 2020.
Off-White x Nike Air Force 1 ‘MCA/Black Midsole’
Not all of the memorable sneakers from Paris Fashion Week were seen on models walking the runway. Virgil Abloh came out for his final bow at the Louis Vuitton show in a special rendition of the “MCA” Off-White x Nike Air Force. Already an incredibly limited release in its own right when dropped for Abloh’s “Figures of Speech” exhibit at MCA Chicago last year, the new pair is probably even more rare. Likely a one-of-one for the man himself, this rendition swapped out a blue midsole for black to add some contrast to the bright design.
Sacai x Nike Pegasus Vaporfly SP
The Sacai x Nike LDWaffle was widely considered one of the best sneaker releases of 2019. So, it is no surprise that both parties have more projects slated for 2020. Continuing the multi-layered design language present on Sacai’s 2019 work, the new Pegasus Vaporfly SP takes the idea a step further. Certain details have carried over from the LDWaffle like a see-through mesh upper, suede overlays, double tongues, and double lacing setup. The most striking feature on all three colorways previewed is the ultra thick, stacked midsole. While there is no official release date, expect this anticipated project to arrive in Fall 2020.
Alyx x Nike Air Force 1 High
Matthew M. Williams continues to add to his impressive catalog of Nike collabs. Teased a handful of times in the past dating as far back as October 2018, it looks like the Alyx x Nike Air Force 1 High will finally be hitting retail in 2020. Maybe the most tame of his work thus far, the standout feature on the classic leather high-top is his signature rollercoaster buckle wrapping the ankle collar in place of the usual nylon strap.
K-Swiss x Lil Jupiter CR-Terrati
Instagram tastemaker Lil Jupiter continued his partnership with K-Swiss at Paris Fashion Week. The young curator celebrated his first PFW with a special colorway of his CR-Terrati sneaker and a “Meet and Greet” for fans. Continuing the intergalactic theme from previous pairs, this iteration highlighted a black and navy blue upper with eye-catching iridescent paneling. The pair was designed in conjunction with Florence boutique Luisaviaroma and released in limited numbers at a pop-up held at the shop, as well as online, on Jan. 19. Only 100 pairs were made, making this one of the more limited drops to occur during the big week.
Craig Green x Adidas
For his Paris Fashion Week debut, British designer Craig Green outfitted a handful of models in pairs from his upcoming collaboration with Adidas. The lineup included colorful, abstract reworks of silhouettes like the Superstar, Samba, and an unidentified running style equipped with Adidas' signature Boost cushioning. This is not the first time Green has partnered with the German sportswear brand either. Back in June 2019, a wide array of colorful Kamandas was shown off as part of Green's Spring/Summer 2020 range. A release date for the latest selection of Craig Green x Adidas sneakers has yet to be announced, but expect them to arrive at select stockists some time later this year.
