Sneaker Diaries by Grace Ahlbom

This is your first ever footwear collaboration. What made working on a shoe feel like the right next step for you?

And hopefully the first of many! I spent years making handmade footwear and creating some crazy colorways for private clients and brands. I stopped counting at around 2,000 handmade pairs, and at some point I felt ready to take everything to the next level. That led me into learning fashion design, where I began creating bespoke garments and full clothing collections. But somehow, I always knew it would bring me back to footwear but this time designing an official release of my own. Subconsciously, I think that had always been the ultimate goal.

What was your relationship with Saucony like before this project came about?

Always loved Saucony, mainly through its lifestyle products. I’m not a runner, so I can’t pretend to be an expert on running technologies, but I have always respected the brand’s performance heritage and the way it has communicated that history into lifestyle footwear. I met Jason (Faustino) during Paris Fashion Week, around two years before the collaboration was even discussed. An agency had invited me to the Saucony showroom, and Jason and I immediately connected. We stayed in touch, and one day, the conversation naturally evolved into the idea of working together.

Why was this the right silhouette for you to reinterpret?

I think it’s all a question of panel layout. When they showed me the different options I immediately went to this one. Because I hand-worked so many shoes before, I kinda naturally knew I would be able to work my color symmetry on it.

When you first started designing the collaboration, what was the first thing you knew you wanted to change or bring to the original shoe?

Definitely my signature colors and really soft fabrics. I really wanted people to feel like, ‘Oh, these are unique.’ That’s why I also wanted to have a colorful midsole, something that you don’t necessarily see very often and that really makes the shoe stand out. I have a different approach to colors, I love subdued colors – bright but never too much – and I think that symmetry in the way you put them together really sets it all.

The collaboration is built around the idea of “Stand Out.” What does standing out mean to you?

It means everything. I always try to stand out in a way. And I feel today everyone pretty much feels like they have to do the same as everyone else to belong to a group and feel accepted. So I really wanted to insist on the importance of being unique, and the importance of standing out. That's what I've been doing my whole career, making bespoke products for people, so they can feel unique and wear something that is a representation of themselves. And this ‘Stand Out’ idea is translated in several ways on this shoe. The shiny gold details stand out from the rest of the shoe. The hairy suede by definition, is hundreds of little suede threads that stand out from one another. And several embroideries that are above the fabrics, and therefore, that stands out.

What was the biggest challenge of designing footwear for the first time?

Honestly the design part was particularly easy because I knew exactly what direction I was going for. And the whole Saucony team has been amazing since the very beginning and was always there to help if needed. The whole campaign shooting, the organisation, can be challenging at times, especially as it was my first big shooting-production. But honestly everything went pretty smooth for a first time and I really felt at my place.

Was there anything about the design process that surprised you or stood out to you?

Not really because I was so ready to jump into this new life, this new level. I was really ready for anything. I knew it was going to be a long process, potentially months, years. And as I said everything went really well, it was so good to work hand-in-hand with the whole team.

How did you balance your own visual identity with the existing DNA and history of Saucony?

I feel like when a brand as good as Saucony wants to work with you, it becomes your role to make the best product possible. Keeping the original purpose of the chosen silhouette while bringing it into my own world. The Guide 7’s early 2010s vibe stayed intact, while my visual language was introduced with colors and texture contrasts. The running heritage, now lifestyle piece. Still functional, and re-designed to stand out.

What do you hope someone feels when they put these on for the first time?

So first of all, the view from above is crazy! The mesh and gold accent on the toe-box really makes the shoe pop in the eyes of the wearer. As a sneaker lover myself, I wanted the person who wears it to be amazed just by looking down on their feet. So I just want them to feel like, ‘Wow, they really went crazy on those, now I really stand out.’