New shoe brand Deckers X Lab has people talking about their funky designs. Who are they? Where did they come from? What’s their goal? Click play above or keep reading to find out about this up and coming brand with deep shoe industry roots.
Jean-Luc Diard is one of the founders of Hoka One One. Previous to founding Hoka he was the CEO of Salomon. After Hoka sold to Deckers (owners of Teva, Sanuk, and UGG), Jean-Luc became the VP of Innovation at Deckers. His job is now focused on pushing the sneaker industry boundaries at Deckers X Lab. And they are pushing them.
Deckers X Lab now has a full line up of really interesting and wild looking shoes. They’ve taken learnings from Hoka and UGG and used them across the line. Sometimes even in the same shoe! From my perspective, it’s great that there’s a company out there really pushing the boundaries of what sneakers should look like and how they should be used.
Are some of the designs a little crazy for me? Hell, yeah. But that’s how you innovate your way to something really iconic. Do you think Tinker Hatfield played it safe? Eric Avar? Peter Moore? Nope. They all tried things we’ve never seen before, and with the help of some amazing athletes, cemented some of those shoes as the greatest of all time.
In this video, I talk about Deckers X Lab and some of the interesting stuff they’re doing by focusing on four of their models. Click play above to see all the cool/weird stuff they’re doing.
What’s in the video?
In the video, Drew provides detailed information from all the usual categories, providing the in depth information you need. He supplies expert level opinions on the materials, cushioning, traction, support, and fit. Here’s some of what he discusses:
- KT-ST 21 Low
- K-ST 35 Mid
- KO-Z Mule
- X-Scape Sport Low
- Carbon Bow technology
- Xponent HD cushioning
- Meta-rocker sole construction
- Matryx mesh
- Sizing recommendations
Let me know your opinion on the Deckers X Lab on Twitter or Instagram.
How to Shop Deckers X Lab
The entire Deckers X Lab product line, including many models I didn’t mention in the video, is available at the Deckers X Lab website.
Reminder: Every month we give away at least TWO pairs of deadstock sneakers to lucky members of our Discord community. We also do 12 days of giveaways every December. Recently, we gave away an Air Jordan 1, a Nike LeBron 18, an adidas Dame 7, an adidas YEEZY QNTM, and the New Balance Kawhi. We also give away a bunch of other stuff like apparel, socks, hats, shoelaces, sporting goods, and more. Our Discord community started less than two years ago and over 20% of members have already won something.
If you’d like to be eligible for our next round of giveaways, join WearTesters here.
