Luxury fashion houses have an unusually tall order when it comes to creating casual footwear, especially sneakers. In an oversaturated market of suede uppers, gum soles and silhouettes that seem to endlessly revisit vintage designs that have come straight out of some father’s wardrobe from the 70s, new silhouettes that successfully enter the zeitgeist of their audience are far and few in between. Moving with the idea that a pair of designer sneakers are gateway to luxury fashion, building hype becomes a central factor to drive a design’s success. With almost every contemporary and luxury label occupying this space, the race to differentiate and ingeniously incorporate one’s brand DNA into their designs, hoping to cascade into pandemonium, is tighter than ever.
As a concept, the designer sneaker begins as an oxymoron. Rooted in youth culture as a symbol of rebellion, the sneaker is democratic—accessible by all and exists in many forms. When a luxury house creates a pair, it begets questions as such: is it streetwear by its silhouette, or do we consider it luxury solely because of the label it bears? As luxury streetwear had its peaks a decade ago, the form it takes place in 2025 requires a much more deliberate effort to create hype beyond just seeing the same pair appear on your favourite influencers’ feed on the same day it launches.
One to tread along the lines of luxury streetwear is Dior Men’s creative director Kim Jones, evident through his latest creation, the new B35 NXXT Sneaker in Raffia. Having tastefully paid homage to different subcultures, Jones distils the spirit of said cultures with the Maison’s immaculate savoir-faire, endlessly reimagining their house codes. Upon first glance, the shoes command a strong focal point—a monochromatic form, with an exaggerated openwork sole that features Dior’s iconic cannage motif. Bearing an uncanny surrealistic impression with its woven raffia upper, the shoe feels like a bold, physical recreation of a ChatGPT visual prompt: “Please design a chunky Dior sneaker in an unconventional material.” The outcome is a visually commanding, audacious piece of design that only Dior can pull off with a heavy dose of refinement.
Having made its first appearance at the Summer 2025 show, the shoe encapsulates the spirit of this collection, honouring both the craft and texture of a life lived. In all-natural hues of beige and brown, the use of raffia may appear as a cheeky nod towards how it is commonly used for beach hats and totes in women’s accessories. However, within this collection that is inspired by South African artist Hylton Ned, the choice of this material comes as a form of subversion that sits in line with Ned’s commentary. Just as Ned challenges the idea of fine art having a hierarchy of materials by opting to work with clay versus oil paints and bronze, the humble raffia becomes the perfect medium to demonstrate craftsmanship.
Loud comes with a form of restraint. As we are oftentimes bombarded with visuals of bold designer sneakers that can easily distract from the complete ensemble, the B35 NXXT in Raffia offers an edited version of a statement shoe. Complete with dynamic curves and a symbolic 47 at the toe to pay homage to the Maison’s first-ever collection, the play on textures and details on the tonal design gives way to endless styling opportunities.
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