The Prada America’s Cup was first introduced in 1997 as a performance sneaker for the Luna Rossa sailing team. Unexpectedly, the mesh and leather silhouette became the luxury shoe of choice for sneakerheads, decades before high-fashion labels would make moves to ingratiate themselves with the demographic.
Now in its 25th year, the America’s Cup is set to take on practically any color scheme you can imagine. Prada has made its iconic sneaker available to customize for the very first time through the Italian label’s AC Factory platform.
Material options will allow you to choose between regular and more shiny patent leather, and from there you’ve got nine different components of the sneaker to personalize to your liking. Each leather panel, as well as the laces, features 12 color options that encompass the rainbow. The mesh foundation and sole are limited to black, grey, and white — the latter portion also coming with Prada’s signature red stripe — while the interior lining adds yellow and red for a total of five options.
Yes, there’s a markup —
The America’s Cup typically retails for $750, but Prada has boosted the price to $1,100 if you choose to customize the classic sneaker. Delivery is promised within 30 days of confirmation for your order, which could be sooner than the “six weeks or less” Nike allows for deliveries from its popular Nike By You customization platform.
If there’s one justifiable gripe, it’s that you don’t have the option to choose between velcro or lace fastening — the former of which usually hikes up the price $890. This is all conceptual for me, though, since dressing up the America’s Cup in Gulf Livery (pictured in this very post) is as close as I’ll ever come to the sneaker. If you just want to play around with color palettes or actually go ahead with a purchase, you can head to Prada’s website right now to start tinkering.
