THE NEW ORDER: CHRIS KYVETOS OF ATHLETICS FTWR
Tue 1 Jun
“I remember being asked if sneakers would be a permanent trend,” Chris Kyvetos recalls. He then smirks, “sneakers aren’t a trend, you know.” Indeed, just like jewellery or outerwear, it’s an industry of its own. And if anything, the men behind Athletics Footwear helped break the ice between high fashion and sneaker circles.
Athletics is made up of a winning trio. Chris with his shop Sneakerboy, a fashion destination whose name is pretty self-explanatory, Myles O’Meally who’s had many design hits at Nike, Off-White, and, who’s also recently founded an agency called Areté and was commissioned to develop Raf Simons’ inaugural footwear line. And as for Neil Beeson: he worked on the first ever collaborative work between a fashion house and a sports giant. “I thought I had my fair share of experience, and then I met Neil,” says Chris.
In 1998 Jil Sander collaborated with Puma to make sneakers that merged lifestyle with performance elements. The King and the Easy Rider — meant for footballers and runners — made their way off the pitch and into the streets. At the time this was a first of its kind, and Neil was on board.
Each in their own way, Chris, Myles and Neil contributed to make fashion sneakers less of a jarring concept, and Athletics Footwear is the fruit of their labours: a shoe that’s tech enough to sweat in, and fresh enough so that it can be sported everyday.
TNO caught up with Chris to hear more about Athletics Footwear and their two pairs of trainers, the ONE and the ONE.2