This is shaping up to be a big year for designer Serge Ruffieux and 13 09 SR, the accessories brand he launched with Emilie Faure in 2021 that is best known for its eccentric and comfy shoes.
After the expansion into handbags with the release of the “Cuddle” design last month, the brand is dropping its first-ever collaboration on Friday. The label has teamed with Japan’s Suicoke to revisit the latter’s signature Moto slides in a ultra-light version embellished with hand-knotted neoprene bows popping up on the distinctive chunky band.
“For 13 09 SR’s very first collaboration, I’m very proud to partner with Suicoke, whose modern, functional and lightweight designs have always resonated with me,” said Ruffieux. “Each step imagined for this 13 09 SR version of the Suicoke Moto slide is a journey inspired by Japanese culture, combining the contrasts between raw and refined that are our initial codes.”
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Teased to a selection of buyers and press members during Paris Fashion Week earlier this year, the style was rendered in two colorways, black and purple. Retailing at 250 euros, it is available to purchase exclusively at the 13 09 SR online store.
A dedicated campaign was developed to further mark the launch, mixing colored product images and black-and-white shots of talent Lavinia Daquino photographed by Annemarie Kuus and styled by Dimitri Rivière.
While signaling a debut in the collaboration arena for Ruffieux’s brand, this is just the latest in a series of tie-ups Suicoke has championed throughout the years, encompassing those with cutting-edge fellow Japanese brands Takahiromiyashita The Soloist, Bape, Doublet and Fumito Ganryu; fashion labels such as Missoni, Moncler, Lanvin, Blumarine and Alanui, and specialists like workwear brand Carhartt WIP and footwear companies Marsèll and Dr. Martens. The brand also linked with artist Daniel Arsham.
In 2022 Suicoke’s collaboration frenzy also targeted processes on top of products, as the company expanded its link with sole maker Vibram for a program enabling customers to have their worn-out Suicoke styles repaired using Vibram’s signature rubber soles.
Dubbed after Ruffieux’s birthdate and initials, 13 09 SR was launched after the Swiss-Italian designer wrapped a three-season stint as creative director of Carven in 2018 and with the support of Faure, who was formerly a journalist at Le Figaro and oversees the business and communications of the label. This is only one of Ruffieux’s projects as he also helms the shoe category at Emilio Pucci under the creative direction of Camille Miceli.
Debuted with the spring 2022 offering, 13 09 SR initially hinged on eccentric flat shoes combining sporty references and sparkly embellishments, as well as bejeweled eyewear.
Infused with a crafty, DYI feel and a playful attitude, the eye-catching footwear garnered attention thanks to its deadstock materials, twisted cords, ribbons, rhinestones, hologram and croco effects. These were matched with padded shoe beds and pebbled rubber soles ensuring the comfort of fringed moccasins and mules, pointy ballerinas and puffy sandals.
While keeping the same approach aimed at offering “happy purchases” — as Ruffieux said at the time of the brand’s launch — the collections have gradually expanded to new shapes and codes. Most recently hard-to-miss boots were introduced, like the Bootsy style in crackled leather cinched with straps and buckles, covered in studs and featuring the brand’s signature Egg heel.
The assortment’s price range spans from 390 euros for slides to 1,170 euros for high boots. In addition to its online store, 13 09 SR is available via a niche physical distribution that includes the likes of Galeries Lafayette in France; Shyness in the U.K.; I.T. and United Arrows in Asia; Camargue in Australia and Piaff in Lebanon, among others.
