DENIM RULES: Allen Edmonds is teaming up with Raleigh Denim Workshop and its founder and designer Victor Lytvinenko for the second drop in Allen Edmonds’ Legend Series. Lytvinenko took an artistic approach to the collaboration, creating a series of black denim canvases, which will be transformed into shoes inspired by Allen Edmonds’ popular brogue oxford.
“The tension and balance of what is acceptably formal felt ripe for exploration,” Lytvinenko said. “Exchanging black leather for black denim on a classically formal brogue creating something unexpected, a more free approach to formal.”
Lytvinenko’s footwear will be designed with exposed black eyelets and black lacquered leather soles that are inscribed with the designer’s go-to mantra of “Follow your heart. The meaning of things we wear is as important as the thing itself.”
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Additionally, Lytvinenko designed 200 pairs of Strand Oxfords, which are named the Strand Denim Dahlia Oxford. The shoes are also created in black denim and feature a black lacquered sole. The shoes are priced at $495.
“The Legend Series was created and exists to provoke the very nature of what’s classic now,” said David Law, senior vice president at Allen Edmonds. “By working with authorities in their given field who share our passion for craft, we remaster our icons and explore the very definition of classics, which are the foundation of Allen Edmonds.”
The canvases will be sold through a gallery exhibition event at the Allen Edmonds’ Rockefeller Plaza location on March 2. Each canvas will sell for $1,295.
The two brands also launched a campaign for the partnership, tapping musician Adonis Bosso to model the shoes.
Lytvinenko’s Raleign Denim Workshop is Allen Edmonds’ second collaborator for its Legend Series. The Legend Series kicked off with a partnership with British brand Barbour. — LAYLA ILCHI
SHOE DROP: U.K. fashion brand Ahluwalia unveiled its first shoe collection during its fall 2023 runway show at London Fashion Week on Saturday.
After eight months of development, the label debuted a 11-piece shoe collection in multiple colorways for both men and women ranging from loafers and boots for men and strappy heels and mules for women.
For women, a standout model is the “A Wedge,” which features a stylized letter “A” serving as the heel of the shoe. “This ‘A’ heel will be the key to our shoes moving forward as we continue to develop more styles,” founder and creative director Priya Ahluwalia told Footwear News in a pre-show virtual meeting. “I’m really excited about this heel; it took a long time to develop and I’m happy with how it turned out.”
Ahluwalia, who often references her Nigerian and Indian roots in her collections, carries this design method over into the new shoe category. “I wanted to celebrate different cultural references that are relevant to me,” the designer said. “So, I looked at a lot of Indian and Nigerian footwear, and not just classic ones, but also styles that immigrants often wear when coming to the U.K.”
Some of the other heels used throughout the women’s line reference the shape of an afro pick, as seen used in the “Raga Mule” and “Chikari Boot,” while the “Tabali” men’s boot references a square-shaped shoe her dad wears frequently that are largely popular in Lagos, Nigeria.
The designer, who is producing the footwear line in Portugal, also mentioned the collection’s use of sustainably sourced leathers. According to Ahluwalia, all of the leather suppliers have undergone an audit with LWG (Leather Working Group) and are all approved, with two achieving gold standard certifications.
As for the retail rollout, Ahluwalia told FN that the collection will drop on her website as well a limited number of retail partners. Retail prices for the footwear range from $470 to $1,200. — STEPHEN GARNER
SLIPPER FIZZ: Coca-Cola, in an offbeat fashion collaboration for the giant soda brand, has hooked up with Brunch, a relatively new and small firm focused on footwear, specifically hotel-inspired slippers durable enough to be worn outdoors.
For the campaign, the Coca-Cola logo and the Brunch logo appear on Brunch’s “l’Essential” slipper silhouette which comes in red, white and navy. Both logos also appear on socks, headwear, a hoodie, a crewneck, a T-shirt and a diner-style coffee cup, products which will continue as part of the Brunch collection beyond the Coke collaboration.
The campaign launches Thursday at noon on the Brunch website, Brunch.us.
Coca-Cola has been prolific in its fashion collaborations over the years embracing such brands as Adidas and Opening Ceremony, and even Karl Lagerfeld who once designed a Coke bottle, so for the fledgling Brunch brand, the tie-up is a big win. Coke’s familiar brand logo provides a highly recognizable and antiquated aura to wherever it appears.
Brunch was founded in September 2020 by Daniel Sitt while he was a junior at Babson College, and is backed by the Thor Equities real estate firm, controlled by the Sitt family. Thor Equities also backs the Mad Happy fashion brand.
About a year and a half ago, Sitt pitched the campaign concept to an official at Coca-Cola who handles collaborations. “There was an immediate sense of alignment between Coca-Cola and Brunch,” said Sitt. “Coke is a like a leisurely stable. When you go for brunch you have a Coke, and at Brunch, we create footwear pieces that also have that leisurely quality.” He dove into Coke’s archives for inspiration for the campaign which draws upon a visit to a Sixties-style diner as the nostalgic backdrop.
When staying in hotels, Sitt would take home the slippers provided in the room, only to see the product fall apart after a few days use. So he came up with the idea of creating a durable slipper that can be worn outdoors and maintains that hotel aesthetic. Essentially, the slippers have a terry upper to capture the leisure slipper feeling. The outsole and other components of the design incorporate materials that give it the functionality of a sneaker.
While Brunch does have a range of products in its portfolio, it’s mainly focused on the footwear where the agenda is growing,
“Going forward we are looking to launch anything under the realm of functional footwear for what we call ‘effortless living,'” said Sitt. “We are working on all different types of slip-on shoes, including a boot, a slide, a collapsible-back shoe, and a sneaker type slip-on.”
Coca-Cola is just the latest collab for Brunch. Previously, the brand hooked up with Jack’s Wife Freda, Setai Hotel Miami, and Conca Del Sogno on the Amalfi Coast. — DAVID MOIN