Daddy Creps

The once-extinct shoe trend of the 2000s has been reimagined and has made its way to the forefront of our instagram timelines and facebook feeds making it a must have in 2019 - the Dad Shoe.

Nike Air Monarch

Back in the day, the comfy, casual and mostly practical shoe trend was started by the Nike Air Monarch and New Balance 624, and was adopted by people who needed an everyday shoe of quality and durability, ultimately attracting the “dad” market. For years this trend died out, people wanted sleeker, lighter sneaker such as the Adidas Stan Smith and the Reebok Club-C 85. Buyers wanted the iconic silhouettes each brand had to offer and therefor comfort and durability were not a priority in the buyer’s process of purchase.

Balenciaga Triple S

Fast forward into 2018/2019, and we love chunky! If our dads would wear it so would we! But at what cost. Brands such as Nike are still paving the way for the OG dad shoe trend, by introducing the M2K Tekno in 2018 - a best seller and one of my personal favorites - and a recent reinvention of the air monarch. Assuming these shoes would be purchased by our dads, we’d expect the prices to be fairly reasonable, right? Wrong. Buyers in 2019 are willing to spend well into the thousands on dad-inspired shoes whilst sacrificing comfort and durability. Luxury brands such as Balenciaga, Gucci and Yeezy are fueling the spike in sneaker prices, influencing the consumers’ desires to jump on the luxury streetwear bandwagon. The Balenciaga Triple S is a prime example of this. A well designed interpretation of the dad shoe, whilst pushing high fashion sacrifices comfort for style, yet stores are selling out as the hustle to have these shoes is real! Retailing from R12 000.00 upwards, this is a tad out of the R600 budget our dads would have spent back in 2008, but hey, if the compliments come pouring in and the likes on our #OOTD go up - we’re in! The question is, does price point & brand mean style, or is this another hypebeast trend that will be in for six months then never to be seen again?

The dad shoe will always have a place in the world and in fashion, offering durability, comfort, practicality and style. However, does “having style” mean chucking durability, comfort and practicality out the window whilst breaking the bank?

Yours truly

Living the Tite Lyf

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