An up-and-coming designer known for creative footwear concepts and other pop culture-inspired projects has turned Apple’s nondescript sneaker emoji into a real-life shoe.
Designer Jose Wong’s ABCD brand launched the Shoe 1 sneaker last week, selling the emoji-referencing sneaker for $219.90 after a series of social media teasers throughout November. The concept sees the unbranded Apple athletic shoe emoji turned into the real deal.
The ABCD Shoe 1 mixes full-grain nubuck leather with mesh on its upper and combines EVA foam and polyurethane on the midsole. But it’s the sneaker’s design, a drab gray-and-white retro running shoe with two diagonal stripes in place of a brand logo, that connects it to the digital icon.
Apple’s sneaker emoji is in essence a distilled version of the New Balance 574 sneaker. Conceptualized in 1988 as a takedown version of the 576 model created by storied sneaker designer Steven Smith, the New Balance 574 soon became one of the brand’s most ubiquitous shoes. It combined elements of previous New Balance designs in order to serve as a less-expensive version of the 576, which resulted in a sub-$100 price tag that helped boost its success.
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Smith caught wind of the emoji-turned-real-life-sneaker and commented that he “needs a pair” on Wong’s Instagram. Around the same time, Smith took to his own Instagram account to do a bit of bragging. “Yeah, just the sneaker emoji based off my design- what have you done? GOAT mode,” he wrote Tuesday.
Beyond the 574 and 576, Smith’s work includes numerous iconic New Balance models such as the 997 and 1500. Often referred to as the “godfather of the dad shoe,” Smith is also responsible for influential 1990s designs such as the Reebok InstaPump Fury and the Nike Air Streak Spectrum Plus. Today’s footwear fans may be more familiar with his work on the Yeezy line including the Yeezy Boost 700. Most recently, Smith was named head of creative innovation at Crocs Inc.
The ABCD Shoe 1 is currently sold out and the product page has been removed from the brand’s website. Given that it was a preorder, the shoe has also yet to populate on resale platforms, but readers can likely expect pairs to surface soon after the shoes begin shipping.
