In New York, the actor pledged his allegiance to a legendary high-fashion footwear grail.
There are sneakers, and there are designer sneakers. Then there are Prada America’s Cups. And no one knows these shoes’ almighty power quite like Willem Dafoe. In New York yesterday, the actor was spotted wearing an all-black pair of the sporty grails – the kind of stealthy move that gets sneaker guys and fashion heads’ blood pumping proper.
Why? It all boils down to history. The America’s Cup was designed for the Luna Rossa sailing team in 1997, debuting at the America’s Cup sailing event that year. It’s streamlined, and stealthy, with a distinctive rubberised sole and leather accents that make it quickly identifiable, minimal, and quintessentially Prada. And while its roots are in sailing, it quickly found a footing among cool people in London and Tokyo as well as hip-hop guys in New York. And importantly, it was Prada staking its claim in the luxury sneaker game long before it blew up.
It shouldn't come as a shock to see Dafoe rocking Prada like this. He’s been riding with the Italian House for some time (and even wore America’s Cups to the Venice Film Festival last year). He entered the Prada-verse in the 1990s, featuring in the brand’s Autumn/Winter 1996 campaign. He later walked in the brand’s Autumn/Winter 2012 runway show alongside Adrien Brody, Gary Oldman, Emile Hirsch, Garrett Hedlund, and Jamie Bell, as part of a collection exploring how power is fashioned. And he continues to represent the brand in his personal wardrobe.
On the daily, Dafoe’s personal style leans minimal, often made up of black jeans, and jackets that demonstrate a considered simplicity, a stylish uniform of someone getting on with the at hand. And it’s a dutiful and long-serving wardrobe of good, Prada-drenched style.
So yes, it checks out that a devoted Prada disciple like Willem Dafoe is down for a very Prada shoe.
