U.K. DEBUT: Thom Browne on Monday unveiled a pop-up takeover at The Corner Shop in Selfridges‘ flagship on London’s Oxford Street for the U.K. launch of its debut sneaker collaboration with Asics.
First unveiled in February during Super Bowl weekend, the new collaboration features Browne’s take on Asics Sportstyle’s Gel-Kayano 14 sneaker in three colorways. The move marks the first time the designer has released an athletic sneaker and a first-of-its-kind collaboration for the brand.
The Corner Shop at Selfridges was reimagined as an immersive “office fantasia” for the launch. Along the Oxford Street windows, the Gel-Kayano 14 sits atop paper sculptures inspired by Browne’s four-bar motif.
Inside, the space is framed by white blinds and steel office elements, evoking a surreal midcentury American bank, the same setting as seen across the brand’s own retail network. At the entrance, an oversize water cooler anchors the theme, nodding to the brand’s playful tribute to office life and the phrase “meeting at the water cooler.”
According to the New York-based fashion company, the shoe draws on Browne’s lifelong love of sports and his mastery of tailored sportswear.
This can be seen via a lace catcher that’s colored with red, white and blue grosgrain for the white and black versions, and tonal grosgrain on gray, a nod to medals Browne won as a varsity swimmer and long-distance runner. Two sets of laces — one metal-tipped with red, white and blue finishing, one two-toned to recall the sneaker’s sports heritage — build upon Browne’s signature bespoke touches.
As for the sneaker’s upper design, it features real suede on gray and black colorways and smooth leather on white, a more sophisticated contrast to the Gel-Kayano 14 model’s performance-driven origins.
Selfridges will serve as the exclusive launch partner for the white edition.
