The Shanghai-based streetwear retailer DOE regularly offers products with eye-catching designs and quality materials, as shown by its apparel collections and collabs with renowned brands (various articles available on this site). For its new opus, DOE has teamed up with DIADORA, the historic Italian sportswear label. A limited edition collaborative N9000 is presented to us.
DOE is a lifestyle imprint inspired by the convergence of cultures. It expresses bold and independent thinking, taking care in the choice of materials. It’s now a leading brand in China’s new retail scene.
The DIADORA brand and its N9000 silhouette have marked generations of Chinese youth from the late 80s to early 90s. With their foreign-influenced look and a pair of Diadora shoes on their feet, young people proclaimed their uniqueness.
To honor this first generation of fashionable running shoes in China, DOE reinterprets the famous N9000. For the design, the Shanghai-based label took inspiration from the OG version born during the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Handcrafted by Italian artisans with high quality leather, the shoe retains its iconic white color. The classic green, white, red tricolor look is redefined in correlation with DOE’s “Purple Rain” series. Blue represents hope and calmness, red represents passion and life, and mysterious purple represents a limitless future. DOE has retained elements of the OG model such as the PU-injected midsole, which over time will show the marks of time in a unique subtle color, and the leather collar lining. These details accentuate the inspiration of the collab based on the singularity of handmade and the “unknown future”. To finalize the look, there are reflective accents on the vamp that pay homage to the pop culture of the time.
The DOE x DIADORA N9000 will be released exclusively at DOE on October 15, 2021, followed by wider distribution at select DIADORA retailers. The pair will cost 1999 CNY (310$) and will come with 2 sets of matching socks and metal lace dubraes ensuring the matching.
