See that photo up there? Those are the Provensen Pow Wow Ankle Boots. As with almost any good-looking, unique shoe in fashion, they do not come in men’s sizes. This is an open letter to designers everywhere: not only women enjoy having cool shoes. Most of the time I feel trapped in my eight-hole Docs simply because it’s so hard to find unique, strange, fashionable shoes in my size (10 1/2 US) and I’m not going to wear the same bland bullshit that most men are offered.
Solestruck‘s The Damned line is a rare example of designers recognizing this, though it pushes it to the opposite extreme by offering mainly heeled shoes. I don’t want giant heeled shoes. I want the Damir Doma creepers in my size. I want to slip into Balenciaga‘s cutouts on a hot day. And I sure as hell want to cram my big dude hooves into Provensen’s Pow Wows. Why is this so hard?
I don’t live in a fantasy world where everyone has the same taste as me. I know that the market for interesting mens shoes is relatively small; most guys really are satisfied with ‘just whatever’. But some seriously hate it. So why not extend your market a bit? Do limited runs. Offer exclusives. And contact me about it first.
When he’s not writing and editing for Electronic Beats, Daniel Jones is a music promoter and creator of the subculture reconceptualization & aesthetics tumblr Gucci Goth.
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