Cole Haan is my shoe of choice from casual to work wear as well as many of my colleagues. Since 1988 Cole Haan has been a vital piece to the global domination that which Nike has attained. A relatively unknown acquisition from its initial purchase, Cole Haan was approached by Nike in 2000 to blend their traditional craftsmanship with the athletic apparel-maker’s innovative Air technology (the shoes have Nike Air in them).
A compelling combination of the minds, the two well known shoemakers have remained to a degree separate in terms of designing, until this month. Initially previewed on many sites as Hypebeast in December, the LunarGrand fuses the modern Lunarlon sole technology with the classical design sensibilities of the traditional wingtip.
VP of Design at Cole Haan, Phil Russo sat down with Sneaker Freaker & described the birth of this idea as such:
“The idea came from our perpetual obsession to make our products better. If you understand what people are doing in their shoes today as well as their expectations in terms of functionality, style and movement, you can design with purpose and create solutions that provide real benefits.
Through design innovation such as the use of Lunarlon foam and its function-enhancing properties in the outsole of the LunarGrand, the boundaries of how classic dress shoes look, perform and function in modern environments are being redefined.”
Available in five color ways, the Cole Haan LunarGrand can be purchased at Cole Haan SoHo for $248 USD on Friday February 10, 2012. Functionality meets style!
Will the Cole Haan x Nike LunarGrand Wingtip go down in history as a small piece of sneaker trivia, or a successful mixture of dress shoe and running aesthetics?
