Looks Like We Have A New It Sneaker On Our Hands

Miuccia Prada takes her post-show bows in gray sweaters and kicky knee-length skirts. Jonathan Anderson wears navy Uniqlo cashmere and Levi’s, almost unfailingly. And, at least this season in Paris, Bryn Taubensee and Patric DiCaprio chose to walk out in low-slung chaps and a “who the f*ck is Vaquera?” T-shirt, respectively. But while we mainly look to designers to pump out collection after collection in between these brief glimpses into their personal style, two of New York fashion’s finest are providing inspiration from behind the curtain.

As seen earlier this month on the first leg of the industry’s biannual whistle-stop tour, Kim Shui and Raul Lopez of Luar both worked in the studio and took a bow in variations on the same shoe — which is why we’re identifying it now as the next It sneaker. (Our logic is, if you’re making clothes for It girls, you must ostensibly be on that It-anything wavelength.) And although you might have clocked the instantly recognizable high-top silhouette, Shui and Lopez’s particular Air Jordan 1s have a little extra It factor: They’re Rare Airs, meaning that they’re early samples of the AJ1, which will be released from the Nike vaults in all their wonky glory — logo swaps, incorrect laces, and all.

According to the brand, “Rare Air is a celebration of imperfections, the magic in our differences, and the understanding that our rareness — whether in products or as humans — brings us all together as one.” Paired with a gray hoodie and a fistful of rings or a body-con dress — or something else entirely that falls outside the spectrum of “designer uniforms” — the Rare Air will be one to put your own stamp on when it’s out in 2025.