Maison Margiela has always excelled at the gentle art of subversion. A tailoring house that cut holes in suits. A perfume brand that made its name bottling memories. Now, the cult label has turned its attention to retro running shoes – but, in true Margiela fashion, it’s done so by stripping one apart and stitching it back together as a style object. Meet the Margiela Sprinter.
The Sprinter plays like a quiet riff on a classic. Inspired by the original Nike “Moon Shoe” from 1972 – a Bill Bowerman prototype famously cooked up on a waffle iron – the Sprinter isn’t a tribute so much as a thoughtful misremembering. It borrows the silhouette and spirit, but none of the earnest performance engineering. This is a shoe that walks like a runner and talks like a Margiela.
There’s no midsole. Just a studded gum outsole separating your foot from the pavement. The upper blends drill cotton with hairy suede and calfskin, hand-treated to create a finish that feels halfway between archival and post-apocalyptic. Every pair looks like it’s been worn... in a good way.
Margiela Sprinter: Perfectly timed
It arrives at a time when the menswear world is rediscovering the elegance of a slim-profile sneaker. As the maximalist era of chunky “Dad” shoes starts to fade, slimmer styles are having a quiet resurgence. The Sprinter sits comfortably in that lane, but offers more than just a nostalgic nod. It feels elevated – like what happens when a track athlete spends too much time hanging around the sculpture gallery at the V&A.
Though the Sprinter has been seen on the fringes of fashion week crowds and a few too-cool Instagram moodboards, it’s now getting a wider release. Still exclusive in feel, but finally accessible enough that you don’t need to know someone at Dover Street Market to try them on.
Colourways range from moody neutrals to lemon and kiwi, all of them just off-kilter enough to feel special. And of course, the only branding is the label’s signature four white stitches on the heel – a whisper rather than a shout. It’s a sneaker that speaks to Margiela’s position as a low-key flex for the well-informed.
Next up: The best minimalist sneakers to buy in 2025.
