A Former Nike Designer Made Birkenstock Sandals That're Almost Too Quietly Luxurious
You probably don't know the name Jesse Leyva but you should know his Birkenstocks. Leyva, a former design head at Nike's sportswear, skateboarding and outdoorsy ACG imprints, has cooked up some tremendously exquisite transformations for some of Birkenstock's best sandals.
In fact, the entire Jesse Leyva x Birkenstock footwear line is so quietly luxurious that it borders on the German sandal company's top-shelf 1774 sub-label in terms of outrageous ingenuity.
There's sadly little info about Leyva's Birkenstock collaboration out there, aside from a few Japanese-language press releases (Birkenstock Japan is so on top of these things!).
But we do know that Levy's two Birkenstock sandals, a Boston and a Zurich, are part of a pack called "Off the Grid," which insinuates that these are loungier styles than some of Birkenstock's more work-friendly or statement models.
Leyva's Birkenstock Boston clog really epitomizes that attitude. It's a plush, leather mule quilted (for your pleasure) and offered in three sumptuously understated iterations. Can't really go wrong with elevating the Boston or any of Birkenstock's other closed-toe options.
The Zurich is an interesting choice because I've noticed Birkenstock pushing it a bit more keenly as of late. The two-buckle slide sandal is readily available on Birkenstock's site, for instance, whereas it was once an oddity rarely available outside of Japan.
The Jesse Leyva version is true to the original but replaces the upper's suede with canvas — very Toogood, in a good way — with leather accents at the end of the straps.
There's also a little Birkenstock logo flag towards the heel, an unusually obvious bit of branding for a company that typically only stamps its logo onto metal and leather. But subtle nonetheless.
Maybe too subtle. The Jesse Leyva x Birkenstock shoes quietly launched in September and are widely available online at retailers like The Next Door, Solebox, and Kith's European web store.
Perhaps a Western release, complete with deserved promotion, is incoming.
