Game On: Luxe Trainers

Kenzo x Vans collaboration

Olympic fever is taking over! Our men’s style expert Ayub Mohamed is all about stylish trainers this week…

I grew up playing a lot of sport – swimming, tennis, cricket – but the fashion used to bore me to death. Over the years this has changed, especially now with the Olympics in full swing. Sporty fashion is on every designer’s mind and its influence shows no signs of dying down.

While I head to brands like Adidas, Opening Ceremony , D-Squared and Dolce & Gabbana for cool sportswear apparel , one item that every man should own this season is a pair of statement trainers.

Designer trainers from (top left clockwise): Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Converse x Missoni and Alexander McQueen

Luxe trainers have become all the rage, with high tops taking pride of place. Thanks to brands like Givenchy (who has created the must-have hybrid boot/trainer), Lanvin, Dior Homme and Alexander McQueen, trainers are no longer a casual affair.

As this is the season of collaborations, top of my list are Pony’s color blocked Dee & Ricky collaboration – the primary colour pops will brighten any winter day. I also love Kenzo’s continuing collaboration with Vans, which features their signature style decorated with cool retro geometric prints in fun colours. Missoni has also collaborated with Converse to create runners with a handwoven crafted shell which reflect the signature Missoni weave.

Kanye West’s Yezzy II trainers for Nike

Last but not least no one does it better than Nike. I would need a second job to stock up on all the pieces I love, but if I had to choose then I would pick the amazing multi neon colored limited edition AirMax trainers, created to commemorate the London Olympics. Kanye West has also created some magic with his Yezzy II style – we can now forgive him for his disastrous attempt at designing clothes!

The former Global Men’s Director at Levi Strauss & Company, Ayub has been involved in conceptualising brands, developing product lines  and managing the business of fashion at a various levels over the last 14 years.