THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Saturday/Sunday, September 7 - 8, 2019 |D1
SPRINT TIME IN CAMBODIA
A guided running tour through the
temples of Angkor Wat D4ONCE UPON A...SNORE?
The newest sleep aid for adults:
strategically boring bedtime stories D13FREESTYLE LASAGNA
Proof that nearly any ingredient can be
choreographed into lasagna form D10trending positively,” he said. Why pay for state-
of-the-art, air-bubbled high-tops if you’re not
Steph Curry lining up to take a three?
Simpler sneakers are on the upswing. “Retro
definitely has a bit more of the momentum,” said
Erik Fagerlind, the co-owner of Sneakersnstuff, a
global chain of sneaker boutiques. Tasteful throw-
backs, like the reissued Nike Tailwind, Adidas Su-
perstar (see “Os” above) and upscale traditional
sneakers like Spalwart’s Marathon Trail Runner
and Brunello Cucinelli’s luxe suede low-tops ap-
peal to a clientele who came of age in the 1960s,
’70s and ’80s. For Frankie Walker Jr., the co-
owner of Unknwn, a Miami sneaker retailer, and a
child of the ’80s, the sneakers of one’s youth hold
nostalgic charm. A plus? These clean styles won’t
look out of place at the office.
Another sneaker that blends well with busi-
ness-casual garb is the understated, sustainable
kick as epitomized by the knitted-upper runner
from direct-to-consumer startup Allbirds (“Ds”
above) or the subtle shoes from French label Veja(“Ss” above). At a time of staggering clothing
waste, these shoes attempt to tread more lightly
on the environment.
At the opposite end of the style spectrum,
aggressively trendy sneakers are rife in the In-
stagram age. Statement shoes like Balenciaga’s
colossally chunky Triple-S or Nike’s collabora-
tion with Japan’s Sacai (with its double soles
and double tongues) leap out on social media,
where brash sneaker fans of all ages battle for
bragging rights. The thirst for boast-worthy
shoes has supercharged sneaker collecting. On
resale platforms like Stadium Goods, StockX
and Flight Club, obsessives amass and unload
limited pairs, sometimes at hammer prices well
into the five figures. In July an entrepreneur
paid $850,000 for a set of 99 rare sneakers dur-
ing a Sotheby’s sale.
Of course, most of us are just looking for one
everyday pair. For many, it’s a low-key minimalist
sneaker, but even if you’d never wear Technicolor
Nikes (“Ni” above), they can be fun to look at.WHAT’S THE LAST pair of shoes you bought?
Let me guess: sneakers. Maybe a pair of collect-
ible, cartoonishly colored Nikes? Leather Com-
mon Projects lace-ups in minimalist, office-
friendly white? Or some humbly ho-hum navy-
blue wool Allbirds? You weren’t alone. The
sneaker business hit $44 billion in sales last
year in the U.S., up 9% from the year before, ac-
cording to market-research firm the NPD
Group.
Although the modern sneaker era arguably be-
gan with Nike’s first running shoes—the basic
Cortez—around 50 years ago, today that type of
functionally athletic sneaker is not driving the
growing market. Matt Powell, the senior industry
adviser for sports at the NPD Group, noted that
sales of performance-sport sneakers (for running,
basketball, tennis, etc.) are tapering off. “For the
last four years we’ve been in this period where
we do not have a single performance [shoe]BYJACOBGALLAGHERDd
New Balance 990v5
$175, newbalance.comDad
ChFila Disruptor 2
$65, fila.comChunky
WfVans Slip-On
$50, vans.comWaffle
Sole
VaOff-White Arrow Runner
$715, Bergdorf Goodman,
212-753-7300Virgil AblohDs
Allbirds Wool Runner
$95, allbirds.comDisrupterTb
Puma Clyde
$65, puma.comThrowbackFl
Lanvin Cap Toe
$490, Lanvin, 212-812-2866FormalDt
Golden Goose Superstar
$480, nordstrom.comDistressedPr
Hoka One One Clifton 6
$130, hokaoneone.comPerformanceVl
Prada America’s Cup
Sneakers
$620, prada.comVelcroMj
Air Jordan 1 Retro High
OG Defiant $175, jordan.comMichael
Jordan
RtMaison Margiela Replica
$470, totokaelo.comRetroFt
Nike Joyride NSW Optik
$190, nike.comFuturisticTd
Adidas AlphaEdge 4D
$300, adidas.com3D
Printing
CoReebok & Vetements
Spike Runner 200
$760, ssense.comCollaboration
RsNike SB What The Dunk
$8,000, stadiumgoods.comResaleNURTURE THESE NONCONFORMISTS
If tulips seem too tame and daffodils too
dull, cultivate beyond-basic bulbs D7Inside
Ne
Asics GEL-Nimbus 21
$150, asics.comTr
Salomon S/LAB XT-4ADV
$223, havenshop.comSs
Veja V-10
$150, veja-store.comSk
Balenciaga Speed Sock
$780, saks.comLx
Hermès Volte
$940, hermes.comCt
Converse Chuck 70
$85, converse.comKw
Yeezy Boost 350 V2
From $315, stadium-
goods.comDc
Greats Royale
$179, greats.comMi
Common Projects
Original Achilles
$416, nordstrom.comOFF DUTY
Independent
Pendants
Who says the
lights over your
kitchen island
must match? D6Hawaiian
Punch
Rum agricole and
other choice
souvenirs to pick up
in Honolulu D5FASHION|FOOD|DESIGN|TRAVEL|GEAR
The
Elements
of
Sneakers
As athletic shoes morph and multiply—emerging
as a pivotal business in the fashion
world—we offer a primer for both men and womenBRYAN GARDNER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; STYLING BY ANNE CARDENASNi
Nike Air Max 270 React
$150, nike.comNikeMinimalOs
Adidas Originals Superstar
$80, adidas.comLuxuryChuck TaylorKanye
WestTrail RunnerSock
SneakerOld
SchoolNeon Direct-to-
ConsumerSustainableHf
Valentino Garavani &
Undercover Climber
$975, Valentino, 212-355-5811Ma
Brooks Running Ghost 12
$130, brooksrunning.comMarathonerHigh FashionFor more sneaker eye-candy, shoe insights and some instructive trivia, turn to pages D2-3