Rucoline R-LOAD tan, white & blue leather sneakers, EU41, NWT

One of the many things I've always appreciated about Rucoline is how willing they are to experiment with trends and really explore design themes. In 2018, they hired new creative director Davide Motta, who previously had worked with Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, and Kurt Geiger. The company has also collaborated with architects and industrial designers. All of this is the kind of design geekery that I live for. Which brings me to these kicks... When I first spied them, I thought they were kind of ugly. But I couldn't stop thinking about them. Every time I went back for another look, another interesting detail jumped out at me. So I decided to take a chance on this pair, and when I first unboxed them, I was blown away by how much cooler they look in RL. From the subtly burnished copper & silver heelcap to the impeccable stitching to the extra funky hiking-style laces, this shoe has some serious presence. Even if all you do is go to the gym, people will be checking them out - they don't look anything like all the typical mainstream brands, nor do they even try to. You can definitely dress them up with some funky denim styling or any number of street style looks. They are size 41, which in this brand means they'll fit up to a size 10. Never worn, because I can't quite figure out how to work them into my grandma-core style, but I bet there's someone out there who knows exactly how to rock these.