Back 70 Sneakers: The Italian Retro Runners With a 70s Mood

Back 70 Sneakers: The Italian Retro Runners With a 70s Mood

Back 70 sneakers come from Vigonovo, near Venice, from a brand that wants to bring optimism and variety back from the 70s. This edit sorts the line by silhouette, from the Boston and the Cloud to the Barkley, Ghost N, Teddy and Jogger.

Back 70 is a small Italian sneaker brand from Vigonovo, in the province of Venice, and its about page sums up the idea in one line: bringing optimism and variety back from the 70s. Vigonovo sits in the Riviera del Brenta, the stretch between Venice and Padua that the local tourism board describes as a footwear district of more than 550 companies, best known for luxury shoes. So these are sneakers from shoemaking country, which you can feel in the suede.

I find the brand refreshing, because so many retro sneakers lean on nostalgia for one famous shoe. Back 70 sneakers lean on a mood instead: suede panels, a big stitched 70 on the side, and colours that would have looked right on a running track fifty years ago. The first grid is the Boston and the Cloud. The Boston is a low, flat terrace shape with a pale translucent sole, and it comes in the widest range of finishes: white with metallic silver, crinkled gold, crinkled silver, an icy pale grey, cobalt blue suede, red suede, and white with red. The Cloud in white and pink is softer, with a fluffy pink 70 and a brown sole.

A practical tip: the metallic Bostons do the same job as a gold or silver ballet flat, so wear them where you would wear a flat, with a slip skirt or cropped trousers. What I would skip is the white Boston if you want a shoe that stays pristine. Pale suede marks easily, so the ice or the blue are kinder choices for everyday wear.

Collage of Back 70 sneakers: Boston pairs in gold, blue, red and metallic silver, a white and pink Cloud, a Ghost N in sika butter, a Barkley Strike in white pony and camel, a Teddy in tobacco, and Jogger styles in light sky, beige and cuoio orange, with a photo of a woman in a brown blazer sitting on stone steps in retro sneakers.
Back 70 sneakers by silhouette

The Boston and the Cloud

The Barkley and the Ghost N

The second grid is where the 70s idea gets more literal. The Barkley Strike and Barkley Jogger have the long, low profile of an old road runner, with a ridged sole and a nylon or suede upper. The Strike comes in white with a leopard-print heel and in sand, and the Jogger comes in mint with fuchsia, in all black, and in a French blue that looks straight off a 1970s running track.

The Ghost N W26 is the winter pair. It has a fluffy, fleece-look lining with the 70 stitched in cream, and I chose three colourways: Sika Butter, with a spotted calf-hair look, Tobacco Butter with burgundy laces, and Coffee Butter in dark brown with mustard laces. If you like the look of Back 70 sneakers but live somewhere cold, this is where to look.

A pairing tip: the Barkley's long shape suits slim trousers and leggings, where the toe can show. The Ghost N looks best with a fuller trouser or a long wool skirt, since the lined collar is chunky and wants a little room around it. What I would skip is the leopard Strike with a printed top. Let the heel be the print and keep everything else in one colour, so the shoe reads as a choice rather than a clash.

Barkley and Ghost N runners

The Teddy and the Jogger

The last grid holds the cosiest and the sportiest Back 70 sneakers. The Teddy has a teddy-bear texture on the upper, a raised 70 and a gum sole, and it comes here in Tobacco White, a grey Sea White, and Butter Wine with a burgundy collar. The Teddy Fu in Milk Ice Cuoio is cream with tan leather details, the softest pair in the edit.

The Jogger family is the brand's take on a classic retro runner. The Jogger Z in beige, milk and coffee is the most neutral, the Jogger N in coffee and gold has a darker suede, the Jogger M in white, camel and green brings a pop of colour, and the Jogger L, in a mix of leopard, zebra and orange, is the loudest shoe in this whole edit.

A practical test for the Teddy: run a hand over the toe when the box arrives. A fluffy upper is lovely in October and less lovely in steady drizzle, so think about your weather before you think about colour. What I would skip is the Jogger L as a first pair. It is great fun, but the Jogger Z or N will go with far more of what you already own, and you can always add the loud one later once you know how often you reach for the brand.

Teddy and Jogger styles

The pair I would buy first

If I were buying my first Back 70 sneakers, I would choose the Boston in ice or blue. It is the flattest and simplest shape, it works with jeans, skirts and tailoring, and the translucent sole gives it a little lightness. For a second pair, a Jogger Z in beige and coffee covers the retro runner side of the brand.

Suede needs a little care. Brush it in one direction with a soft suede brush when it is dry, use a protective spray before the first wear, and let wet pairs dry naturally, stuffed with paper, away from a radiator.

What I like about Back 70 is its plainspoken mission. The brand talks about confidence, perseverance and movement, and about bringing optimism back from the 70s. It is a small idea, but you can see it in every colour choice, from the cobalt Boston to the leopard Jogger, and it makes these shoes feel cheerful in a way most sneakers do not. Coming from a district that has made shoes for generations, that cheerfulness sits on real craft, and that is what keeps me interested. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together New Balance Sneakers and Gucci Sneakers Women Are Wearing Have Gone Quietly Retro.