Have you seen an epidemic of trainers with contrast lines and a classic vintage shape around town recently? Perhaps in a yellow and black combination, maybe the silver and white? Chances are you’ve seen them without even knowing what they are.
The Onitsuka Tiger’s Mexico 66 trainers were predicted by Harper Bazar in 2023 to be the next “it-shoe” and they were right. With Gen-Z celebrities fronting the brand’s new campaigns, such as Conan Gray and Willow Smith and endorsements from it-girls like Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber, Onitsuka Tiger have ‘cool’ stamped all over them.
The Japanese shoe brand started in 1949 as a relatively unsuccessful business before merging with Asics in 1977. The brand’s popularity began for practical reasons. Runners frequently adopted them to improve their performances whilst maintaining an athleisure aesthetic. This led to the creation of the ‘Magic Runner’ style which aimed to prevent blisters and increase comfort for athletes.
Whilst attempting to get to class by walking down Market Street when you’re running late can feel like an Olympic race, the reasons students are so drawn to them I would argue is far from the brands athletic intentions.
The Mexico 66 style, which is the brand’s most famous, was first designed in 1966 two years before the Mexico City Olympics (hence their name). They have a classic look that feels vintage and timeless simultaneously. This combination is what I would argue has led to their popularity. Afterall society today tells us that we must be individual, every time we open our TikTok FYP a new ‘core’ is presented to us. Are you into Fairycore? Balletcore? Cottagecore? Or Craftcore? As we’re told so often that we have to stand out and with the rise of vintage shopping and flea market browsing, there’s a pressure to look put together and have your personality clearly defined and shown off to everyone you pass on the street.
Here's where the Onitsuka Tigers come in, with their timeless aesthetic yet bold colour combinations you can look ‘put together’ whilst also being individual. Of course, the contradiction arises in the fact that as they become more and more popular, the chances of you looking unique become slimmer.
Does that mean you should stop wearing them? No. Of course not, the shape of the Mexico 66’s stands the test of time and if being individual matters to you, then go for a colour combination that’s slightly more unusual!
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