Luxury fashion house ZEGNA unites with London-based footwear designer Daniel Bailey to create a new iteration of the Triple Stitch™ Sneaker, first seen grounding looks at the house’s Summer 2023 Fashion Show. The visionary founder of footwear-design studio CONCEPTKICKS® – better known as MRBAILEY® — is the first to collaborate with ZEGNA and Alessandro Sartori on its globally successful sneaker, which is now set to become an ongoing platform of creative expression and reinvention. The Triple Stitch™ Sneaker is part of the new ZEGNA identity, where progressive practicality meets tradition and craftsmanship: creating a new language of style around the concept of Luxury Leisurewear.
SNEAKERS
Crafted from tactile layers of suede and leather in Black, White, Grey and ZEGNA’s signature Vicuña colour, the Triple Stitch™ MRBAILEY® Sneakers features a carbonised-inspired finish that draws from yakisugi – a traditional Japanese method of wood preservation. Accented with a namesake triple-crossing detail – an homage to the three hand-stitched crosses found on ZEGNA’s tailoring – the lightweight style is set on a hand-applied wraparound midsole, then finessed with a removable insole for exceptional comfort. A partial mesh lining and toggled cord imbue the Triple Stitch™ MRBAILEY® Sneakers with a hiking-inspired note that’s ideal for roaming the landscape of Oasi Zegna: where the house’s Summer 2023 ‘Born In Oasi Zegna’ Fashion Show took place in June 2022. – from ZEGNA
Collaborating with Alessandro Sartori and ZEGNA’s highly skilled team of craftspeople was a rare opportunity for me to both design and be inspired in real time. From working with Alessandro, I was able to see how he looks at product through a discerning lens, and was inspired by the level of passion and ability that he and his team have to create sculpturally complex, functional art. It was a true balance of contemporary product engineering and traditional luxury sentiment. What made this collaboration unique was having access to ZEGNA’s family-owned manufacturing facilities – a playground for any designer. This allowed us to experiment with different types of constructions – ultimately landing on the idea of re-contextualising leather-crafted footwear for the luxury market.
Though this shoe may look traditionally vulcanised, it is actually a single piece of leather that has been triple wrapped around the shoe to create a leather foxing. It’s ultimately a testament to Alessandro’s attention to detail and his team’s ability to execute at the highest of levels. – Daniel Bailey, MRBAILEY® Founder & Creative DirectorWhen Daniel Bailey and I started the conversation of creating a pair of Luxury Leisurewear shoes, the iconic Triple Stitch™ Sneakers naturally came to mind. Triple Stitch TM are a global success for ZEGNA and now we are expanding the borders by turning it into a true creative platform. Together with MRBAILEY® we added a unique touch to the Triple Stitch™, reimagining it in a new design while keeping its soul. We also used new colours, materials and construction methods. The collaboration, based on a unique footwear-crafting process, is an unprecedented experiment in which luxury materials match perfectly with up-to-date accomplishments. Collaborations to me need to be the result of creative minds working and thinking together. They must be based on a common vision, authentic conversations and most importantly, mutual respect and trust. Only if there are these premises can you explore new possibilities and ideas that can be beneficial to both brands. – Alessandro Sartori, ZEGNA Artistic Director
The Triple Stitch™ MRBAILEY® Sneakers in Black are exclusively pre launched in-store and online by Kith for the USA, France and Japan on Friday 4 th November. A pre-launch will take place for China in December. The collection will be available in selected international ZEGNA stores, on zegna.com and with selected wholesalers from early January 2023.
