Matthew Williams’ Polarizing Givenchy Mallow Shoe Is Here
Since his appointment at Givenchy in June 2020, Matthew Williams has been sharing sneak peeks of his work through social media, most recently taking to Instagram to showcase his latest footwear design for the luxury label.
When the news broke, it was said Williams would succeed Clare Waight Keller as the house's creative director. The designer was the first woman at the helm of the house, and is known for bringing couture back as well as giving Givenchy a big presence on the red carpet (and also dressing Meghan Markle for her royal wedding!), and conversations immediately began, discussing whether Williams would bring his edgy ALYX streetwear aesthetic to transform the label.
Williams' first collection featured a handful of eye-catching pieces (remember that cap with devil horns?), but a lot of attention was given to the footwear selection. Three-toed sandals with a horn-inspired heel, crocodile-embossed trainers, and platform rubber sandals were only some of the options, and since we've seen leather boots, loafers, and more.
The new shoe teased by Matthew Williams on Instagram comes with a more futuristic look, featuring a shaped rubber upper with a sock-like heel, and arrives in both white and black colorways. As Crocs are becoming increasingly popular, and Kanye West's YEEZY Foam Runner is one of this year's most coveted silhouettes, releasing a rubber shoe seems to be the obvious.
Highsnobiety fans had mixed opinions of the shoe, ranging from the classic, "What are those?!" comments, to skeptics. "But actually fashion bloggers bout to be out here flexing these seriously," one user wrote, with another one saying, "Grandma's gardening shoes."
Other users were quick to point out Williams' references, pointing out that, "Kanye is genuinely a massive influence on labels now," whilst a handful were also disappointed in the design coming from a luxury fashion house. "Charging crazy prices for blown EVA shoes that are super cheap to manufacture because all they make is a mold is disappointing."
Now, the shoe is available to buy and is officially called the Givenchy Mallow. Arriving in two different iterations – with and without the sock – the shoe retails starting at $595. You can snap up the rubber shoe in a handful of different colorways including cream, black, and brown online at the Givenchy website.