For his first and only Versace runway show, unveiled in September, Dario Vitale paired his pop-inspired looks with reimagined Onitsuka Tiger Tai-Chi sneakers. The capsule collection, with its vintage and formal aesthetic, celebrates the fusion of minimalist Japanese design and fine Italian materials.
As wedding season approaches, Versace reimagines the iconic Onitsuka Tiger model worn by the Bride in the film Kill Bill 1 in a more understated, formal—and thus resolutely hybrid—version.
This launch is all the more significant as it represents one of the few remnants of the brief stint at Versace by a defector from Miu Miu, Dario Vitale, who was let go in December following a runway show.
It’s hard not to see behind the launch of the Tai-Chi Sakura, born of this collaboration, Onitsuka Tiger’s desire to capitalize on the younger generation’s growing enthusiasm for leather shoes. A sign of the times, Versace is also offering a sportier and more colorful version of its loafer.
Celebrating the body in motion
The capsule collection offered by Versace and Onitsuka Tiger is intended to be an ode to “meticulous design, born from the fusion of Italian and Japanese craftsmanship.” To this end, the sportswear brand and the Italian fashion house have teamed up to reimagine an iconic model from the Japanese firm, the Tai-Chi sneaker, designed in 1965 as the agile companion for martial arts. Its name derives directly from this Chinese discipline, renowned for its therapeutic benefits and situated at the crossroads of combat sports and gymnastics.
The Tai-Chi achieved cult status after gracing the feet of kung fu film superstar Bruce Lee in what remains his final film, The Game of Death (1978). The Tai-Chi then enjoyed unprecedented popularity in the 1970s, before becoming a more niche icon.
In2003, Onitsuka Tiger experienced arenewed popularity with a Mexico version—thicker and lemon-yellow—worn by actress Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino’s filmKill Bill Vol. 1.
A new it-shoes: the Tai-Chi Sakura
Today, the brand is making a comeback among Millennials passionate about Japanese culture.
Celebrating the Tai-Chi Sakura model, the Onitsuka Tiger x Versace capsule collection offers no fewer than eight looks for men and women, featuring a wide array of organic and pastel colors (pink, green, black and brown, black and yellow, metallic silver…). The materials, meanwhile, evoke raw energy through the use of suede and nappa leather.
Embodying all the innovation of the Japanese firm—which began with a single baseball sneaker in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka before expanding into other sports—these new creations come directly from the Sanin factory in Tottori, Japan.
Having passed away in 2007, the brand is preparing to commemorate, next year, the 20th anniversary of the founder’s passing.
With a vintage look, the textures appear subtly faded or polished.
That said, the two brands haven’t forgotten their identities: the double stitching on the stripes for Onitsuka Tiger and the Medusa logo—a figure from Greek mythology with hair made of snakes—appearing in relief as a studded metal ornament on the heel counter for the Tai-Chi Sakura and on the vamp for the moccasin.
Versace proves that shoes can be an ingenious accessory. Expect to pay 590 euros for the Tai-Chi Sakura in smooth leather, 630 euros for the metallic version. Ultimately, it is the loafers—currently the most coveted leather shoes among Gen Z—that command the highest price tag at 850 euros.
This isn’t the first time Onitsuka Tiger has partnered with an established luxury house. In recent years, the Japanese sports brand has teamed up with such diverse and prestigious names as Valentino Garavani, Givenchy, and Patou.
The subtle execution of this capsule collection proves that it is possible to offer new, innovative, authentic, and therefore desirable designs, combining style and performance, in the vein of the Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner collaboration. A skillful harmony of identity for two brands that, despite originating from two distinct continents, have found common ground.
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Featured photo: © Onitsuka Tiger x Versace
