The Givenchy TK-360

With the TK-360 men’s trainer, Givenchy’s pre-fall 2022 collection is anchored in a decisive vision for the future of the legacy brand.  Described by the House as “an avant-garde, statement-making men’s fashion sneaker,” the TK-360 presents an impossibly fresh look in an otherwise congested market.  The silhouette and technology offer a fashion first, with TK-360 deriving its name from the singular “total knit” construction that encapsulates the trainer completely from its lip to sole.  Against all traditional logic of fabric and sportswear, wearers of the Givenchy’s TK-360 find themselves walking comfortably on a layer of mesh knitwear below their embossed rubber soles.  For Givenchy’s Matthew M. Williams, this kind of subversive innovation was the aim.

Appointed creative director of Givenchy’s women and menswear in December 2020, Williams was lauded by the House for his commitment to “research, technical innovation, and creative repurposing.”  It was Williams’ task to bring the elegant ease of the brand into the new techno-futurist age. Through his own label 1017 ALYX 9SM, Williams collaborated with legacy luxury houses Dior and Moncler. “Working with Moncler,” stated Williams, “means a lot of technology applied to luxury fashion.”  This conception of techno-heritage has continued in Williams’ work at Givenchy, where his freedom to explore and pioneer as a creative director has no bounds.

The TK-360 range benefits from a uniquely ridged rubber sole and the uniformity of block colouring that coordinates with the rest of the collection.  The avant-garde shape sees a rejuvenation of the extending bulbous heel silhouette under a new seamless design that obliterates the classic sneaker structure.  The TK-360 is post-brutalism in every sense of the term, with a focus on shape, flow, and wholeness over structure and anatomy.  The appearance of a heel is only alluded to with the iconic black Givenchy lettering along the side.  Tone-matched micro-thin laces offer an aesthetic choice for the wearer instead of the usual utilitarian value.  Laces can be worn or removed with zero change to the wearer’s experience.  All of which places Williams at the forefront of contemporary culture and technology both on the runways and the street. If this is Williams’ self-described “dream shoe”, we should all sit up and pay attention.

The TK-360 is available now in the U.K. and selected other markets, and will continue in-store and online worldwide until July 1st.  All TK-360 colours are available with colour coordinated Givenchy jersey hoodies, felpa Bermuda shorts and logo-branded T-shirts.

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