Spurred by an increased demand for customised designer sneakers, bespoke sneaker artisans like The Shoe Surgeon and Argo Concepts have risen and introduced the world to a whole new genre of never-before-seen luxury sneakers. Daring, avant garde and no longer the purview of centuries old heritage brands, a designer sneaker artisan like Argo Concepts would take a popular sneaker and create something which transcends its original design – case in point, this pair of Adidas YEEZY Boost 350 V2s.

Sneaker Art: Introducing Argo Concepts Translucent YEEZY Boost 350 V2 and Top Designer Sneakers Mid 2017 Roundup

Thanks to the work of imaginative designer sneaker crafters like The Shoe Surgeon and Argo Concepts, we get to see some already striking sneaker designs made even cooler and in many cases, more luxurious than the original model thanks to the infusion of unconventional materials like croco-leather and in the case of Argo Concepts YEEZY Boost 350 V2s, translucent synthetic uppers.

Inspired by the work I’ve seen coming out of @eccoleather #hotshop10 with Sruli Recht. What if? Yeezy 750 in transparent leather.

Mihara Yasuhiro featuring our Apparition Leather @miharayasuhiro_official. Image: eccoleather

As far as bespoke sneakers go, Argo Concepts Translucent YEEZY Boost 350 V2s take Kanye’s iconic design and infuses them with a space-age aesthetic which simply challenges the concept of what it means to be a “designer sneaker”. According to @Argo_Concepts instagram, the Translucent YEEZY Boost 350 V2s were inspired by the work Argo Concepts saw coming out of @eccoleather #hotshop10 with Sruli Recht. Obviously “transparent leather” is not going to be feasible (it doesn’t exist) and a shoe in plastic or equivalent translucent synthetic material is going to make a very cool (in terms of design) pair of sneakers extremely hot (if not downright uncomfortable) to wear. Thus, this pair of  Argo Concepts Translucent YEEZY Boost 350 V2s  are a work of photoshop only.

What is amazing about Argo Concepts’ bespoke sneaker is the deft handling of design elements which still retain the core DNA of YEEZYs: Sections of the uppers are finished in grey and red tones with the same typographic elements “SPLY-350” as the original Adidas Boost 350 V2s while keeping the signature ribbed sole unit and rope laces. One can dream. In the meantime, check out Luxuo’s Mid 2017 round up for top designer sneakers.

Best Designer Sneakers Round Up of Mid 2017

COMME des Garcons x Nike VaporMax

COMME des Garcons x Nike Air Max 180

Available in ice blue and all black, COMME des Garcons x Nike VaporMax sneaker is based on the core Nike sneaker with flexible Flyknit upper placed directly atop a radically reinvented Air
cushioning system. The COMME des Garcons sneaker is basically a runway-ready edition with the same snug fit and label tape in place of laces. As per Nike’s foundational design – there are no additional structural elements just Air underfoot.

That said, if monochrome isn’t your thing, COMME des Garcons x Nike Air Max 180 dropped colour bomb sneakers during the Paris men’s fashion week SS18 show.

Tom Sachs NIKECraft: Mars Yard Shoe. Image: Tom Sachs

This pair of Tom Sachs NIKECraft: Mars Yard Sneaker is literally designed with one consumer in mind – the airbag inventing, Mars rover conceptualising NASA mechanical engineer. Developed for alpha male Tommaso Rivellini, a mechanical engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena California, the NIKECraft Mars Yard Shoe is designed with a myriad of special components: Nike special forces boot (SFB) outsoles, Mars Excursion Rover airbags material (Vectran fabric to be precise) with the detailing from Apollo Lunar Overshoes. Icing on cake? This was tested at the NASA lab in Pasadena. They’re currently sold out because some scalpers are reselling them on eBay. You’d be lucky to get a pair for under US$3000.

Adidas NMD XR1 in silvered grey. Image: Adidas

When silver Boost midsole joins grey on grey upper, what you get is a sublimely monochromatic sneaker named Adidas NMD XR1. The designer sneaker would capably pair with any outfit you so choose, dressed up or down. The mesh upper with leather cage give it a structure beyond what one might expect from a casual sneaker, as a result, the looks are quite striking with sombre undertones thanks to the colour (or lack thereof) palette. The shoe looks extremely premium and to be honest, looks ready for a trip to the gym with sweats or to the conference hall with suit.

KAWS x Air Jordan 4. Image: Nike

KAWS is known for his figurative characters and re-interpretations of popular icons notably Mickey Mouse

Continuing our monochrome sneaker obsession is the professional pop artist/designer KAWS. Born Brian Donnelly, KAWS became known for his figurative characters and motifs in the 1990 – basically inspired re-interpretations of popular icons notably Mickey Mouse, the Michelin Man, the Smurfs, Snoopy, and SpongeBob; while some characters are completely original. KAWS has managed to tap into the pop cultural zeitgeist with his deft interpretations of everything from a completely re-imagined MTV award “spaceman” to these Air Jordans.

KAWS worked with Nike on a range of Jordans for Spring 2017. The KAWS x Air Jordan 4 sneakers follows in KAWS signature mono-hues – light grey suede leather upper dressed with KAWS x Air Jordan brand heel tabs, nubuck midsole, waxed laces (some some weather protection I suppose) and when in the dark, the outsole glows KAWS motifs in icy translucence.

Arthur Huang’s inspired upcycling of consumer trash and industrial waste has thankfully led the sneaker box of NikeLAB x Arthur Huang Air Max 1 is something you’d want to keep rather than throwaway.

NikeLAB x Arthur Huang Air Max 1 Ultra 2.0 Black

To be completely honest, we’re not sure if it’s the dope box or if it’s the shoes that are dope but since they come in a set, the NikeLAB x Arthur Huang Air Max 1 Ultra 2.0 Black. Arthur Huang is himself a structural engineer and architect, recently recognised as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2015. His inspired upcycling of consumer trash and industrial waste has thankfully led the sneaker box of NikeLAB x Arthur Huang Air Max 1 is something you’d want to keep rather than throwaway. The designer sneaker may be all black but thanks to its distinct silhouette and synthetic chunky overlays, it’s probably going to be a future sneaker icon.