Menswear: How luxury footwear fares in a pandemic

There are 190 different stages in making a high-quality leather shoe that is forensically examined to eliminate any flaws before going on sale

Sat, 10 Apr, 2021 - 08:00

Paul McLauchlan

Long before the pandemic, footwear trends began to change. While footwear has dominated men’s wardrobes for decades, frenzied sneaker culture has reigned supreme in the fashion conversation in the last decade. Just last summer at Christie's, Michael Jordan’s signed and game-worn Air Jordan 1s fetched $615,000 at auction during a sneaker memorabilia series. Some people take sneakers as seriously as artwork. Meanwhile, on resale websites, limited edition trainers carry five-figure asking prices.

Similarly, when offices were forced closed last March, the carcass of our past lives was visible in an unworn suit, the unloved tie, and the shoes that gathered dust. Slippers, slides, and even Crocs, took their place.