How Rick Owens’s Bestselling Sneaker Has Been Charming Goths and Suits for 20 Years
Rick Owens’s Geobasket sneakers are nearing 20 years old, but the marble table displaying them at Bergdorf Goodman’s men’s store still gets plenty of action. Hip males in their 20s and dads in business suits stop by in equal measure to touch the luxe calfskin of the boot-sneaker with the exaggerated tongue that has spawned countless copycats. Many of them know a bit about Owens’s glam-goth aesthetic. Those who don’t are likely looking to emulate their favorite athlete, rapper, or rock star. For all the commotion, the shoe itself (particularly in a sea of gargantuan sneakers) is surprisingly understated in a muted palette of buff leather.
The New York Times’ David Farber knows a thing or two about Owens’s influence on menswear, pointing out that the designer introduced the oversized sneaker at Pitti Uomo in 2006. “It was the first-ever luxury basketball sneaker,” says Farber. “The biggest takeaway was not that he introduced this monster sneaker, that everyone has ripped off, but that it was dramatic and a total look that Rick brought to the forefront by spearheading sports-inspired clothes with elongated tops (think of a basketball player), dropped crotches, and baggy basketball shorts in lux fabrics.”
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Owens famously said, “I wanted monster trucks for my feet,” about the 2006 model. Initially called the Dunk, Owens changed the name to the Geobasket after Nike took legal action due to a questionable swoop and it wasn’t the first time Owens found himself in hot water over naming choices. Urban fashion legend tells the story of the “Ramone,” inspired by the punk band. An Owens groupie expressed that the wife of one of the members, Linda Ramone, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Owens, which stopped the production and made the few that were produced highly collectible (Owens PR neither confirmed nor denied this story).
Despite Owens having launched collaborations with more budget-friendly brands including Doc Martins, Veja and Converse, the OGs, which start at around $1,000, are still going strong. The DRKSHDW collection, inspired by the 1970s vampire TV show Dark Shadows, is the designer’s diffusion line, which is accessibly priced and introduced his goth vibe clothing to the youth culture through organic celebrity placements (athletes such as P.J. Tucker and rap artists like Bobo 7 to Kanye West wear his shoes). “People come in and show us photos of PJ Tucker and want to know if we have the exact shoe,” says Chris Soriano from Bergdorf Goodman. “Social media is how they got into Rick,” he says.
With the democratic price tag of the Converse collab, it’s clear Owens is not opposed to broadening his appeal but die-hard fans struggle with the accessibility of the brand. “This is the last brand I thought this would happen to,” says one BG shoe sales associate who did not wish to disclose their name. “I saw it happen at Fendi, I saw it happen to Gucci and I’m fine with that. But the popularity of the Rick Owens sneaker, I was not expecting. I think we’ve lost Rick to the social media age.”
“Fifteen years ago, the person who was buying a Rick shoe was more joyful and excited to learn about him and I could be more involved in the sale,” says the associate. “Now that original customer doesn’t want it; it’s such a grab-and-go item.”
Bergdorf Goodman Personal Shopper Anthony Stropoli was an Owens devotee from the beginning, when Atelier on Crosby Street was the first to carry the designer’s collection. Stropoli has more than a dozen pairs of Owens sneakers including the Geobasket and the Cargo, which features a zip pouch on the side and he wears them daily to compliment the head-to-toe all-black uniform that he sports to sell to his celebrity clientele. “Rick took classic shapes and uniquely reinvented them,” says Stropoli. “But the customer has changed significantly. Die-hard fans still come in and want to talk about past collections but it’s less these days. I call them the cult of Rick.”
That said, the ubiquitousness of social media, which caused many once underground fashion secrets to become popularized should not devalue Rick Owens’s place in menswear. The high priest of Goth advanced menswear to a new level, mixing grunge, sportswear and urban uniforms. “That sneaker wasn’t random— there was a total look that took men out of their comfort zone, and it trickled down to both teens and middle-aged men,” says Farber. “It became an icon but at the time there wasn’t anything like it.”
Although the sneaker’s design may have evolved to an understated look, beneath the surface of the leather or canvas still lies the symbol of pushing societal norms. It may be Owens’s legacy—the item he is most remembered for because of its ease of wear relative to the brand’s clothing. They’re the gateway to the Rick Owens universe and footwear has the power to define a moment in time. Think the Gucci horse bit loafer that has permeated the past decade or the checkerboard Vans that Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli wore in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The punk movement may be long gone but the spirit of rebellion lives on in Rick Owens for those willing to dress even ever so slightly outside the box.
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