Prada Sneakers Sit Where Sportswear And Nylon History Meet

Prada Sneakers Sit Where Sportswear And Nylon History Meet

Prada sneakers trace back to a real America's Cup sailing shoe from the 1990s, which escaped the sport entirely and became one of the first genuinely successful luxury sneakers. That rare origin means the wave sole and bold panel construction were functional first and fashionable second, rather than the usual reverse. This edit follows that shape from its heritage build through Re-Nylon, suede and leather versions of the same idea.

The America's Cup Came First

The house sponsored an America's Cup yachting team in the 1990s and produced a technical sailing shoe to go with it, which then escaped the sport entirely and became one of the first genuinely successful luxury sneakers. That is a rare origin, because most designer trainers start as fashion objects and reverse-engineer a function. Here the function was real and the fashion followed. The rubber wave sole and the bold panel construction that define the shoe are both sailing features, and they are why it still looks unlike a converted running shoe thirty years on.

America's Cup, Downtown And Prax

America's Cup biker fabric sneakers and the soft rubber and bike fabric version are the heritage models and the most recognisable of these prada sneakers. Downtown Bold in nappa leather and suede and in Re-Nylon and suede is the current chunky silhouette, and the Re-Nylon build uses the house's recycled nylon. Speedrock mesh fabric sneakers are the most technical looking. Prax 01 leather sneakers are the cleanest shape in the range, and the plain nappa leather and suede sneakers are the quietest pieces here.

Pair it with

Wide-leg trousers and a trench are the natural partners for a sneaker with sailing roots, because the proportions stay long and the shoe does the sporty part. A Re-Nylon shoulder bag repeats the same recycled nylon used in the sneakers. Plain crew and ankle socks keep the gap between hem and shoe looking intentional.

Our honest take

Nappa leather is soft, comfortable immediately and scuffs from almost anything, which makes it the wrong choice for a shoe you walk far in. The rubber wave sole grips well on wet surfaces and picks up grit in the channels that has to be dug out. Re-Nylon cleans easily and is the most practical upper in this group by a distance. Suede panels on a sneaker are the first thing to look tired. If you take one thing away, buy the Re-Nylon build if you actually want to wear them and the nappa if they are mostly for indoors. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Gucci Sneakers Women Are Wearing Have Gone Quietly Retro and Women New Balance Sneakers To Know.