Practioners of Yoga? No. Practioners of fine footwear? Yeah.
Fashion is cyclical, this much is true but there seems to have been a split in the matrix. Some people are now dressing like they are in the matrix. For the rest of us there is a stylistic hark back to the 70s approaching. At the top of the pyramid there’s the recent Gucci ready to wear collections – a bit eccentric for us and a bit too heavy on the logos but we can appreciate certain individual pieces and the funky marketing.
A bit further into our orbit is Grace Wales Bonner who’s designs have riffed on the likes of soundsytem culture and the style of Jamaican imigrants in London in the 70s. Her take on Black Britishness connects quintessential blokey garments with an elegance and class that results in one of the most aspirational depictions of modern masculinity presented in fabric in the present. Two staples of the era, short shorts and track tops, were employed in her collaborations with Adidas as well as some retro three stripe kicks, further integrating the retro style into the mainstream.
A brand who’ve been forshadowing the return to the 70s for a minute now is Yogi. The appeal to their treds used to seem rather specialist, preferred by mop haired indie kids and big jacket blokes. It’s not that they weren’t a smart pair of shoes, it’s more that the taste of the mainstream was eschewing smartness in favour of streetwears casual nature. Streetwear was shortly followed by a penchant for outdoorwear and its casual functionality but it finally seems that GORP has reached saturation point.
Yogis are slack yet smart indicating the direction of the future, informed by the past. They’re inspired by the unconventional Earth and Roots shoes from the 1970s updating the sensibilities for the now. The quality can’t be questioned Yogi Footwear uses naturally formed lasts with soft earthy leathers and buttery suedes which are hand sewn in the workshop, eschewing superfluous detailing for a clean and minimal aesthetic.
Some of our favourites to date are the Hikerdelic collaboration (not that we’re biased). The vibrant shades of Forrest Green, Rusty Red and Sunshine Yellow charge the Derek sillohoutte with a psychedelic edge. The last few pairs are available at Yards Store here.v
There’s also some brand new styles that have hit the shelves for Autumn/Winter. Our good pals over at Aphrodite have chosen three of Yogi’s finest shoes to stock, in a range of colours. The Fairfield boot is winter ready. The Finn is Saturday night ready. Check em out here.
For our inaugural Shoesday we’ve chosen a brand that embodies everything that great shoemaking should be about. Stay tuned for more cheap puns and crep focused content.
