We Just Can't Get Enough Of These Minimal Sneakers

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON LYST - JUNE 2016

READ MORE

The trend for luxurious minimal sneakers is showing no sign of abating anytime soon. Brands like Common Projects and Acne have been spotted on the feet of fashion editors and bloggers alike becoming part of the uniform for women who favour an understated, effortless aesthetic. Attention minimalists: there’s a new kid on the block. Introducing Axel Arigato—the new cool-girl sneaker brand that the men in your life probably already know. This season the brand has started making their perfect minimal kicks for the ladies too—and they are so hot it hurts.

For Axel Arigato CEO Albin Johansson and Creative Director Max Svärdh, taking a dive into the sneaker world seemed like an obvious move. After hunting high and low for the perfect pair of simple sneakers they found that everything on offer was either too expensive or not quite right.

Axel Arigato launched in 2014 and ever since has been building a cult following. “We like to keep our customers guessing who Axel is,” explains Johansson. “He can really be anyone.” The brand's name literally translates into “Axel thank you” in Japanese and Johansson and Svärdh site Japan and the country's inherent love of minimal design as their biggest source of inspiration.

“You can go to Japan, and even crappy newspaper ads for hair salons look beautiful. I could frame everything.” explains Svärdh. “Everywhere you look there is beautiful design and clean lines."

Taking this love of Japanese minimalism and translating it into their designs, the pair started on a capsule collection of men’s sleek lace-ups slip-ons and laceless styles which grabbed the sneaker community’s attention. Rather than adhering to seasonal drops, Axel Arigato release one new style weekly on a Tuesday. “We wanted to disrupt people’s expectations” Johansson explains. “It's also why we want to keep the brand small. We want to be able to adapt to what our customers want, be it a new colourway, a new style, or a whole new collection—and we want to be able to do it really quickly.”

Since their launch, the duo have added hi-tops, platform and runner styles to their repertoire in a variety of supple leathers, pale suedes and exotic skins. They also recently launched a women's collection after noticing that the small sizes of their sneakers were selling especially fast. “We weren't designing for women at the time, and were honestly surprised that so many women were after the products. Today women want the same sneakers that their guys are wearing. It just made sense to start on a women’s collection.”

Having one of those days when you only want to wear sneakers to the office? Axel Arigto’s simple styles are luxe enough to wear to a breakfast meeting, but will keep you feeling comfortable. “We’ve noticed lots of our friends in Sweden, girls and guys, wearing sneakers to their office jobs. These aren’t friends working in fashion or media. These are people working in big banks and corporate roles. America needs to start doing the same,” says Svärdh. “I think a black sneaker like our cap-toe sneaker with a white sole can actually look much smarter and slicker than a more formal shoe. Just make sure they are clean!”

If we've convinced you into buying a pair, a word of warning: you'll have to be prepared to fight for them. Axel Arigato sneakers are only stocked in a handful of carefully picked retailers globally and Johansson and Svärdh are aiming to keep things small. The shoes are so covetable, that despite not being stocked anywhere in their native Sweden, a recent sample sale saw sneakerheads lining up for over two hours, in the pouring rain. “It was insane—we didn't expect so many people to come out. It was a great opportunity for us to see that people were into the brand.”

As well as amazing shoes, the designers behind the brand have mastered the are of social media with a particularly strong Instagram game (go and follow it right now). Presenting their new styles against a beautifully curated visual moodboard full of design and architecture, the feed also offers news on projects and general inspiration. Perfect Sunday morning scrolling.