As you’ll surely be aware by now, there’s nothing more we love at Zoo Fashions than a good pair of sneakers. Each season, we go above and beyond to bring you a selection of the best and most sought-after styles that luxury fashion has to offer; and the latest offerings in our sneaker showcase certainly don’t disappoint.
Narrowing down the shortlist to just a handful of our favourites has been no mean feat, but we’ve conspired to deliver an edit of wild and wonderful designs that we feel really represent the greatest tendencies of their respective designers. Here are our top 5 sneaker picks for your off-duty wardrobe.
Valentino Garavani Grey & Silver Mesh Camouflage Rockrunner Trainers
For a great many years now, Valentino’s hallmark camouflage ‘Rockrunner’ trainer has been a staple of the Maison’s permanent collection. The switch to primeknit as a base fabric is a recent one, however, one that designer Pierpaolo Piccioli seems to think has some staying power. It’s a welcome update to an established silhouette, bringing an extra layer of flex and breathability that helps make it a great choice for warmer weather conditions. But the heart of the trainer remains the same, retaining the signature camouflage patterning that Valentino has oft been known to implement. Valentino Garavani’s Grey & Silver Mesh Camouflage Rockrunner Trainer comes in a sleek slate grey colourway with just a hint of silver to reinforce that unmistakably premium quality.
Givenchy Red Ripstop Spectre Running Trainers
Givenchy has sought to capitalise on the fanaticism surrounding running trainers in recent seasons, with designs such as the ‘Jaw’ and ‘Giv 1’ silhouettes taking centre stage for their footwear collections. The ‘Spectre’ is arguably their most refined model in that category to date, altering our overall perception of luxury athleisure in a contemporary landscape. The Givenchy Red Ripstop Spectre Running Trainer is defined by its almost weightless neoprene body, transparent midsole and unconventionally placed side zipper, which combine to emanate a sleek, almost futuristic vibe. Whether you choose to add Spectre to your activewear rotation, or instead decide to make it a key component of your off-duty look, there’s little chance that you’ll fail to make a lasting impression in Givenchy’s latest footwear darling.
Christian Louboutin Louis Junior Spikes Orlato Black Jacquard Trainers
One of the earliest and most beloved models in Christian Louboutin’s extensive footwear portfolio is surely the Louis Junior. It’s been reimagined in a countless number of colourways and fabrics during its lifetime, each version personifying another layer of Mr Louboutin’s charming quirkiness and meticulous eye for detail. The Christian Louboutin Louis Junior Spikes Orlato Black Jacquard Trainer is, without doubt, one of our favourite iterations of the silhouette, its star feature being its textile jacquard quarters, which may draw favourable comparisons to carbon fibre aesthetics (unfortunately without providing quite the same level of protection, however!). It combines perfectly with the tonal calf and suede leather accents and silver-tone spikes for a wonderfully demure personality, making it the perfect choice for casual dress codes and occasions with a leaning towards a more sophisticated edge.
Y-3 Runner 4D IOW Trainers
One for the more active of our readers, the Y-3 Runner 4D IOW Trainer is a masterclass in technical design and fine-tuned performance. Everything from its breathable mesh body to its oxygen and liquid resin '4D' midsole is designed to make movement a breeze, a quality that we should now come to expect from an experienced sports fashion juggernaut like Y-3. We absolutely love the colour combinations used in this model too, mixing placid pastels with hints of more obtuse reds and blacks, to keep the design unique and exciting without ever overcomplicating the issue. At its heart and soul, this is a classic Y-3 sneaker in that it pulls out all the stops to deliver uncompromising performance, especially for more testing practices like rigorous exercise or long, uninterrupted runs.
Balenciaga Black Speed 3.0 Trainers
The sock sneaker revolution started with Balenciaga’s very first ‘Speed’ trainer and since then, they have continued to tweak and riff on the formula more than any luxury designer we know. The featured Balenciaga Black Speed 3.0 Trainer retains all of the core principalities of the original design with a lightweight, technical knit construction and chunky, shock-absorbing sole unit, differing only slightly with a sock that runs higher up the leg to give it more of a high-top feel. It feels different, yet comfortingly familiar at the same time and almost for that reason alone, it earns its spot on our list. If you’ve yet to buy into the sock sneaker trend, this would be a great place to start…
