Sport isn’t exactly the first thing that jumps to mind when one thinks of French bottiers Berluti and its exquisitely crafted leather shoes, but that’s exactly the direction the brand has taken their latest sneakers. Enter the PlayOff, a new style debuting this Fall/Winter season that’s inspired by basketball kicks from the ‘80s and ‘90s.
The surface-level courtside sneaker references are clear enough, but what makes these really special is the application of Berluti’s savoir-faire. The Venezia leather uppers, for example, are assembled from 80 individual pieces; while the toe boxes and backs of the shoes use a leather folding technique that creates a sleeker, more seamless connection between the leather upper and sole. The result: just about the most tastefully dandy luxury sneakers in the game right now.
PlayOff sneakers retail from $3,100 at Berluti boutiques and online.
This article first appeared in the September 2022 issue of Esquire Singapore.
