• Men’s Fashion News

Justin Deakin’s First Sneaker Collection In A Decade

It’s 1994, Sony just released a little grey box that would change video games forever, PJ and Duncan were getting ready to rumble, and British shoe designer Justin Deakin created what was arguably the first ‘fashion sneaker’ brand.

A precursor to the Common Projects and Tom Fords of today, Stride received critical acclaim for its forward-thinking approach, landed Deakin a British Footwear Award and was honoured in a stint at the Design Museum in London.

Since selling the brand in 1998 Deakin has laid low, choosing to focus on his dress shoes while also consulting for brands such as Belstaff, Dr. Martens and French Connection. But almost a decade on, Deakin is ready to bring his namesake back to the sneaker world, with the launch of a six-piece collection.

The capsule range, which celebrates the best of British design and Italian workmanship, features styles crafted from single pieces of high quality leather, suede and ponyskin in black, white, blue and red.

Add to that details such as reflective piping and asymmetric laces, and it’s quite possible that Deakin’s has done it all again.

The Justin Deakin sneaker collection is available to buy now from the Justin Deakin Store at 22 Hanbury Street, London, and online from the end of May, priced from £300.

Luke Todd

As FashionBeans deputy editor, Luke Todd is tasked with filtering through the latest from the worlds of fashion, grooming, fitness, technology and lifestyle to deliver an indispensable edit of the most stylish stuff. Along with working on the site since 2009, he has written for leading titles such as ShortList, Drapers and GQ Style Germany and has consulted for brands including Bulldog Skincare and James Harknett.