I bought a pair of Off White sneakers from their new season collection. These are called Off White vulcanized low top sneakers.
In the 19th century, Charles Goodyear discovered the process of vulcanization in rubber industry. And this technique was later used for making vulcanized shoes.
These shoes are made when that rubber sole is glued to the upper and then a layer of foxing tape gets wrapped around it. The basic idea of this process is to make these shoes more durable but it also somehow makes this type of shoes an important concept in fashion industry.
Most popular American shoe brands that make good vulcanized shoes include Converse, Vans, The Hill-Side, Sperry and probably other names you are familiar with.
Some European brands are also favored by fashion bloggers and consumers, such as one of Instagram’s favorites - Italian manufacturer Superga. They are durable, trendy and friendly priced.
Another long-established French brand Spring Court was deeply loved by John Lennon who wore it to album cover photo shooting and even his wedding day.
Now Off White, a link between high fashion and street wear, is making vulcanized shoes as well. The experiment went back to 2017, when Off White co-named Nike for“The Ten” collection. The founder of Off White, Virgil Abloh, designed two generations of vulcanized shoes for Nike-owned Converse: Chuck Taylor All Star and Chuck 70. They were both sold out immediately after initial release.
The success apparently encouraged Off White to release new designs for its own brand. The most popular one of them is this pair in my hand.
Here comes a combination of the classic Off White strips, arrow logo and zip tie tag. It is certainly a trendy and eye-catching piece.