Fendi's New Mad Sneaker Is Architecture for Your Feet
Fendi and MAD Architects' avant-garde sneaker collaboration is finally within reach.
First shown during Fendi's Fall/Winter 2024 menswear fashion week presentation, Fendi and architectural studio MAD Architects teamed up to create a futuristic sneaker that looks like an actual piece of art.
Under the reign of Fendi men's artistic director Silvia Venturini Fendi, the collaborative sneaker is a tech-heavy marvel that's light on feet but heavy in forward intricacies.
For starters, the ultramodern sneaker boasts an ergonomic body with a contoured upper and a form-fitting sole that falls right in line with the slim-shoe resurgence dominating the footwear sphere.
The slip-on sneaker (the laces are tucked underneath) also features fluid lining, an injected organic sole, and curved metallic detailing reflective of MAD Architects founder Ma Yansong's forward-thinking design style, which blends organic forms with contemporary tech.
Maybe that's why the sneakers lowkey look like the Cuntan International Cruise building designed by Ma Yansong/MAD Architects. Or is just me?
In any case, Fendi's sneakers are still an undeniably high-concept blend of natural shapes and curved edges fused to an ultra-flat base, for a strikingly bold despite a slender silhouette.
In the same super-sleek vein, MAD Architects' Fendi sneaker does not have the brand's signature FF logo. Instead, a minimalist Fendi inscription near the midsole takes its place, offering a notable contrast to the often bold branding of the fashion house. Très chic!
The wearable embodiment of MAD Architects' forward-thinking industry presence, these Fendi sneakers encapsulate the symmetry between the world of luxury fashion and architecture with intentional ease and a flair that is both ahead of its time, yet poignantly on-trend.
An appreciation for a similar design application can be seen in a variety of sneaker builds like adidas' ubër techy Wonder Runners. The Fendi collaboration, however, is one of the most high-end takes on this neoteric trend.
Releasing in early September, the sneakers are the footwear match to Fendi's Peekaboo ISeeU bag, another collaboration with MAD Architects that comes in complementing colors. Matchy-matchy!
The designs of both the Fendi sneakers and the Peekabo ISeeU bag enlist similar structures that highlight the abundance of fashion inspo lurking all around us.
Quiet poetic for a sneaker, me thinks!
