Even after the loss of Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton seems to be continuing its streetwear streak. Two new skating sneakers, dubbed the “High 8” and LVSK8,” have surfaced from the French fashion house donning plush tongues, mesh details, and rubber mudguards. Sure to be the biggest flex at the skate park, the shoes look as as functional as they are fresh, with features akin to Nike’s own skating models
A range of familiar two and tri-tone palettes make the High 8 and LVSK8 sneakers even more comparable to Nike’s Dunk — a silhouette long embraced by both the skating community and Abloh, who reworked the sneaker a number of times. Added contour lines, accent stitching, and perforated padding on the collars also resemble those found on Nike’s Jordan 6, calling back to Abloh’s practice of creating designer dupes. The High 8 and LVSK8 sneakers could very well be remnants from the artistic director’s reign, which empowered the modifiers, the remixers, the curators, and anyone else once on the outside looking in on the fashion industry.
