Sneakers that could really raise the bar

These latest must-have sneakers may not be to everyone’s taste, but for beer lovers, they could really raise the bar. Heineken has managed to incorporate beer into the soles of a pair of sneakers to promote its new lager.

Forget sneakers with soles that give off flashes of light with each step, or even those with built-in glitter. While fashion design may not be its usual territory, there’s no doubt that Heineken has pulled out all the stops to promote its latest lager, Heineken Silver.

But rather than using its prime product to fill a pint glass, the Dutch brewing giant has incorporated the beer into a pair of sneakers. And this is a highly serious fashion offering, since the brand asked artist Dominic Ciambrone – aka The Shoe Surgeon – to take care of the design.

The Shoe Surgeon has already customised the sneakers of celebrities like Justin Bieber, Drake and basketball player LeBron James. And the star of the sneaker world logically makes use of Heineken’s signature colours, covering the wearer’s feet with green, red and white. With various recent sneaker releases on a culinary theme – like the kicks in the colours of Kinder Bueno, or the Adidas sneakers themed on pepperoni pizza – this kind of crossover is perhaps not so surprising.

But what’s new here is that the brand’s product in question is actually used in the making of the shoes.

Indeed, these sneakers have beer in the soles, but also in a thin tube detail that goes around each foot. Is it really Heineken Silver? Supposedly, but it’s pretty hard to check. And there’s even a bottle opener built into the tongue. Only 32 pairs of these sneakers – named Heinekicks – have been produced, seven of which will be available in Singapore later this year. –