Scottish label HANON has partnered with Finnish sneaker connoisseur Karhu to celebrate the Highland Games. The Highland Games is an annual Scottish and Celtic festival that dates back hundreds of years. It is often credited with being the inspiration for the Olympic Games.
The collaboration brings a ‘Karhu’s Legacy 96’ sneaker, which features vibrant colors associated with highland attire and outdoor activity. The sneaker is composed of suede and mesh, with accents of purple, green, white and orange. Pony hair detail appears on the shoe as a salute to the kilt sporran. Tartan footbeds arrive with interchangeable tongues and three sets of laces.
The HANON x Karhu Legacy 96 ‘Highland Games’ is slated for a May 6 release via the Karhu and HANON websites.
Historical Sports Sneakers
HANON and Karhu Team Up for New Highland Games-Inspired Sneakers
Trend Themes
1. Heritage Collaborations - Collaborations between brands to celebrate and preserve the heritage of traditional festivals or historic events present an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the fashion industry.
2. Sport-inspired Sneakers - The demand for sport-inspired sneakers with unique designs and materials is increasing, which creates disruptive innovation opportunities in the footwear industry.
3. Interchangeable Features - Sneakers with interchangeable features such as tongues and laces present a potential disruptive innovation in the sneaker industry, providing consumers with more customization options and sustainability benefits.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion - The fashion industry can embrace heritage collaborations to create unique products that appeal to consumers' desire for traditional and historic references.
2. Footwear - The footwear industry can leverage the demand for sport-inspired sneakers as well as the customization trend to disrupt the market with new designs and materials.
3. Retail - Retailers can offer sneakers with interchangeable features to create a new selling point and meet the sustainability demands of consumers who value customization and durability.