The crossover between motorcycle gear and high-end fashion has been ridiculous lately—These ridiculous Balenciaga riding pants/boots things cost more than a new Yamaha MT-09 SP.
Heck, they cost more than my rent.
And I watched horrified as these trends unfolded throughout the year until I saw the Alpinestars Momentum collection.
The Momentum collection expands on the intersection between fashion and the world of motorsports, specifically motorcycle racing, but in an incredibly unique and creative way. The collection is made up of the Nucleon SS Tee, Track Jacket, Track Pants, GP Hoodies in black and grey, hats, and the Alloy Leather Jacket. But at the center of the collection is the Legacy Shoe—Alpinestars’ inaugural sneaker.
By far, the coolest thing about the Momentum collection is that everything is made from deadstock racing materials. For those unfamiliar with deadstock racing materials, these are pieces of protective race gear that have been deemed unrepairable and unsafe to reuse. Every piece of the Legacy Shoe collection is made entirely of crashed MotoGP leather suits, giving a whole new meaning to the term fast fashion.
Not only is the Momentum collection not fast fashion, but it’s eco-friendly. It repurposes used materials to become useful garments once more. Each MotoGP suit produces three pairs of Legacy shoes. And apart from the fact it’s insanely cool to think one of your heroes wore the leather your shoes are made from, it’s even cooler to see the damage and asphalt marks left from tracks around the world.
The collection amazes me as a concept, both in its creativity and the level of attention that’s gone into it. There’s nothing easy about getting something like this off the ground. Here’s what Denise Fociil, Head of Collaborations and CEO of RSRV at Alpinestars, had to say about the project,
“For our first sneaker, we wanted each piece to represent exactly who we are, no matter the cost. One crashed MotoGP leather suit yields three sneakers only. Each sneaker bears the marks of tarmac from different race tracks all over the world. It was a slow passion project, but one that ensures that every sneaker is a true collectible and inimitable.”
Now for the bad news. Alpinestars will only be making 60 pairs of Legacy Shoes, which makes them some of the most collectible sneakers right this year but also extremely exclusive. Of course, I’d love to own a pair, but just knowing there are companies out there making concepts like this come to life puts a smile on my face.
