While promoting her latest film, "The Mother," J Lo walked out in a pair of translucent Valentino platforms with 6-inch heels. Her stylists, Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn, combined the shoes with not one, but two looks, including a Michael Kors cashmere jumpsuit and matching trench coat.
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Martine Rose and Nike(NYSE:NKE +0.75%) are back together with another round of Shox MR4 sneakers. The London-based designer takes to Pitti Immagine as Pitti Uomo 103‘s Guest Designer, delivering her Fall/Winter 2023 runway show in a grand Florentine loggia that’s been given an Italo house makeover. And while the clothes stole the hearts of the showgoers in attendance, it was the shoes on their feet that brought the collection together in harmony.
Courtesy: Ericbrain
Taking the Martine Rose x Nike Shox MR4 that debuted during Rose's SS23 runway show and was released shortly after in July 2022, the designer replaces the "White" and "Black/Red" colorways with something more subtle. The new colorway of purple fading into blue, inspired by goalkeeper jerseys from the 1990s, is reminiscent of terrace culture and Italy's love of football, while also staying on theme with Rose-isms we've come to know and love.
The sneaker is structurally identical to those that came before it, with a pointed and squared-off toe that nods to both Rose's own footwear designs and her ongoing research into football culture. Extra-long laces and silver-toned 3M panels on the mesh vamp give the smart-casual sneaker-mule football boot cues, while silver stitching outlining the black plush synthetic Swoosh emblem on the mid-panels also veers into soccer territory.
Grooved plastic acts as a heel clip and runs around the back of the shoe, and Martine Rose's signature "R" emblem is incorporated into the plastic on the medial side. The rest of the shoe is made of smooth leather, with sculptural details in geometric formations adding a final touch of retro footballing cues to the silhouette.
A Nike Shox system can be found at the rear, as expected. Four pistons in a bright blue colour sit atop a black sole unit plate and support the black leather dual-branded insoles. "I really wanted it to feel like a collaboration between London and Italy in the broadest sense," Rose said exclusively to Hypebeast about the collaboration. Music and dance music culture, as well as sport, are two things that unite the United Kingdom and Italy. The shoe emphasises this and draws heavily on these two elements. Those little nods to sports across the water were what brought us together."
The exclusive images above show the new Martine Rose x Nike Shox MR4. There is no word on when they will be available, but expect limited quantities and a quick sell-out.
San Francisco (California) [US], June 19: Gap Inc and Athleta have invested 1 million dollars in Saysh, a footwear branded founded by Olympic medallist Allyson Felix and brother Wes Felix.
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Pic Courtesy: Saysh Official
Felix reportedly was unable to find the perfect sneaker whilst preparing for the Tokyo Olympics last year, prompting her to set up Saysh, a shoe brand by women, for women, focused on community building.
In a Series A funding round the company secured 8 million dollars in investment. Felix previously collaborated with Athleta when she was contracted as the brand’s first athlete partner in 2019. At the time Felix ended a partnership with Nike, calling out the sporting giant for not being supportive of new mothers in an op-ed in the New York Times.
As part of the investment, Gap Inc. has taken a 2 percent equity stake in Saysh, according to a company spokeswoman. In addition, Athleta, a 220-unit operation, has a partnership to sell Saysh footwear via its site.
Saysh will use the investment to focus on its e-commerce, wholesale distribution and community-based retail, reported WWD, in addition to expanding its product categories and launch activity-specific sneaker styles.
Felix parted ways with her former sponsor Nike several years ago and published a New York Times op-ed in 2019 that called out the activewear giant for not being supportive of new mothers. In competition and through her own business, Felix, who has two children, is committed to supporting women and their families.
Last year Felix and Athleta also joined forces to kick off “The Power of She Fund: Child Care Grants.” That initiative earmarked $200,000 to help professional female athletes with children finance their travels for competitions. Six mothers, who competed in the Tokyo Summer Olympics, were among the beneficiaries of that monetary commitment. During those Summer Games, Felix, who is now the most decorated U.S. Olympic track athlete, wore Athleta apparel and Saysh spikes.
Saysh was started by Felix with her brother Wes, who serves as chief executive officer. The company will use the funding to amp up its branded e-commerce, wholesale distribution and community-based retail — an area that the founders are looking to build up. The $8 million investment will also be used to expand its product range and to introduce activity-specific sneaker styles.
Springbank Collective was an additional early-stage investor that recruited a group of angel investors through a Special Purpose Vehicle, according to information provided by Saysh. The New York Road Runners Club’s CEO Kerin Hempel, The Black Doula’s Sabia Wade and gender and policy expert Anne-Marie Slaughter were participants. Felix shares the collective’s mission to support working women and their families.
Athelta’s investment was brokered by Gap’s Strategic Growth Office, the unit that is on the lookout for opportunities to increase growth and fast-track capabilities across its portfolio of brands.
Venture capital firm Redpoint has previously invested in Netflix, Sonos and other companies.
