Finally, a reality

We've been talking about them for a long time, but now it's really happening.

November 5th is the official launch date of one of the most eagerly awaited products in Asphalte history.

Following on from The Solid Sneakers and Tough Tennis Shoes, these represent the logical next step. We know that many of you have been holding out for these for ages.

We’ve been getting more and more requests online, even some in our newly opened shop, so we’re going to dive into our most heavily demanded item.

Before we get to the heart of the matter, let's take a look at the history of these unique kicks.

As you know, at Asphalte every item we make starts life on a ‘Collection’ questionnaire. It's the big questionnaire that brings together all the items we've thought of, and we ask you to vote for your favourites.

The thing is, these questionnaires are a bit of a hodgepodge. There are shoes, jumpers, accessories and suits, so we wouldn’t blame you if you’ve lost track.

In short, a bit like Asphalte HQ, these Typeform questionnaires aren't exactly tidy.

Given how much these sneakers have been requested, we introduced an additional questionnaire devoted entirely to the sneakers. You may remember it, back to early 2023.

Let's face it, we reckon about two-thirds of you have at least one pair like these at home. You. Us. Our friends. Our kids. Our parents. They're an essential wardrobe staple, and we have to admit that Asphalte is a bit light on this front. There’s the Solid Sneakers and the Tough Tennis shoes, of course. Both favourites, but ultimately different beasts. So we put together a sneaker-focused questionnaire to get your thoughts. Here's what you said:

The Solides Sneakers won it, but the message was still clear: enough of you also wanted a more casual pair of sneakers with more detail.

Fans of minimalist trainers can rest assured that our Solid Sneakers are here to stay.

For those of you dreaming of a slightly more assertive pair, we hear you. In fact, we're pretty damn happy to hear it.

The design you voted for has a classic 80s flavour, and it's a real privilege to be trusted by you to take on such an era-defining style.

Of course, we stick to what you say, you know us: simple and effective, understated and elegant, easy to wear every day, sturdy and comfortable, and all at a good price.

But there is a ‘but’.

And that ‘but’ is nostalgia. There's a little something extra to look for in these sneakers. A touch of something else, a different heritage to pay homage to without going over the top.

It was a right balancing act. A tightrope to walk, between passion and reason. It’s taken over a year to get right.

It's all well and good to know that you have a hankering for 80s-style sneakers, but you have to admit that that’s still pretty vague. So we started with a dedicated questionnaire called ‘Product Development’.

This is when we ask you precisely what you want in terms of shape, design, materials, colours, etc.

We collected 3,821 responses, which kept our Product Department busy for quite a while. We dissected and analysed everything and produced a spreadsheet as long as your arm.

By this point, we pretty much knew what you wanted:

• Comfort, because this is the pair you'll pull on when you want an easy option. You really don't want to feel cramped (talking of which, we have a little surprise in store for you).
• Durability, because we know too well how many disappointments out there. They look good on day one, but before long things start to change. And not in a good way. The leather cracks, the sole goes does a runner and after six months a hole appears.
• An understated style (but not too understated). It's crazy how difficult it is to make something simple. Complicated? No problem, just flick through your nearest magazine and you’ll see endless examples to choose from. But when you want something simply on point, it’s really hard. We’re really happy with the results, we hope you’ll agree.

More specifically, we knew that you were generally in favour of a tag on the tongue, and we couldn’t agree more. It can be a really nice detail that makes all the difference.

As for perforations, opinions were within the margin of error. About 50/50 as you can see. So we decided to make a final decision and go with perforations because it improves ventilation, a very underestimated consideration.

With all your likes and dislikes in the bag, we got on the blower and called in a specialist sneaker designer for the occasion.

Thanks, Germain if you're reading this!

All this takes us up to June 2024, when we got first prototypes back from the workshop. Or workshops actually, as we tested a few in parallel. We ended up opting for Rilix in Portugal, whose quality was next level—a real step up on the rest.

We then shared some pics with you on Insta to see what you thought. We had our doubts on three or four details, but you soon set us straight.

To make absolutely certain, we put together a follow-up product development questionnaire on the same subjects. We don't pull our punches with co-creation.

Once again, you stepped in and made good. Thanks.

What did we do next? Yes guessed it, a final product development questionnaire to hammer out these details. Last one, we promise.

We can safely say that we're not far from the final, approved version. We've been working on this for months and months, perfecting the model with your help, and it's slowly starting to bear fruit. Intense it is, but also worthwhile. As soon as we get a new prototype, the whole team’s claiming first dibs to test it. To tell you the truth, we're already on the 6th iteration.

After masses of effort and co-creation, this is what we’re looking at:

We have :

• a 100% smooth white leather model with a blue leather insert on the heel
• a version with alternating off-white smooth leather and beige suede, plus a navy blue insert on the heel
• and finally, an off-white smooth leather, a blue smooth leather heel and green suede inserts.

As for the leathers, we've obviously kept the ones that performed best during our durability tests: Vanity (Italy) for the smooth leather and Mastrotto (Italy) for the suede.

We know the wait has been looooong. And perhaps a little frustrated as a result. And we understand. It’s because we're waiting for the final prototype before confirming the final details.

You won't be disappointed.

Next time, we'll tell you about the steps we've taken to guarantee you a pair of sneakers that are solid and comfortable. And not damn good-looking.

As you know, our number one mission is to make sustainability accessible, and we've pulled out all the stops to make sure you get slipper comfort and ultimate durability.

If you'd like to be kept in the loop for when they're available, sign up here.

See you soon,

The ASPHALTE team