Saucony's Mesh-Heavy Dad Shoe Is Aging Gloriously
When you’ve been making running shoes for as long as Saucony has (the brand was founded in 1898!), you’re bound to have a big archive of what are today considered dad shoes.
And by dad shoes, I mean a pair of mesh-heavy running shoes that were once at the cutting edge of sneaker technology and now look gloriously retro. A specification that the ProGrid Triumph 4 fits perfectly.
Initially launched in 2007, making it the same age as the first iPhone, the sneaker has been brought back to life in the last couple of years.
The latest ProGrid Triumph 4 release is a New York-themed collaboration with Minted New York that leans heavily into the shoe’s old-school aesthetic.
The collaboration is inspired by how the Statue of Liberty has aged since the 1880s, going from being a brownish-gold color to the green hue that it sports today — a result of the copper statue oxidizing over time.
The beige, brown, green, and silver tones incorporated into the Saucony x Minted New York ProGrid Triumph 4 tell this story of the Statue of Liberty’s aging. And, simultaneously, they give the shoe its own aged look.
Opting for a retro-infused colorway has proven to be a hit, as early releases of this sneaker have sold out instantly.
First, a pop-up shop in New York attracted big crowds and then an exclusive early drop on Minted New York's website saw the shoes fly in seconds. As with all online sneaker releases, bots made the collaborative ProGrid Triumph 4 near-impossible to get a hold of, causing Minted to cancel all orders they suspected used a bot and give people a second chance to purchase (where the shoes sold out, again).
Now, the sneaker is finally getting a global retail launch, arriving at select stores on May 31.
The previous releases have proven this retro Saucony runner won't be an easy cop. However, until the global release on May 31, all hope is not lost.
