Chaz Jordan of 1989 Studio Reflects on Paris Fashion Week and His Twist on the Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Don Shoe

Paris Fashion Week Men’s delivered several noteworthy footwear moments. Chaz Jordan of 1989 Studio was responsible for one of them.

Among the many hits — which included the first show for Pharrell Williams, someone whom Jordan cited as an inspiration, as Louis Vuitton men’s creative director — the 1989 Studio founder and designer debuted the bold “Red October” Skate Low V01. The red monochromatic shoe, which was revealed during the label’s spring-summer ’24 runway show, served as an homage to the Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Don that arrived 14 years ago.

When the “Red October” Skate Low V01 releases, the shoe will retail for 450 euros ($491 at the current conversion rate).

Although the shoe’s reveal provided a powerful moment, and 1989 Studio’s collection for the season was well received, the road to Paris Fashion Week wasn’t without bumps for Jordan and his team. According to Jordan, “We had a point to prove.”

Below, Jordan revealed why 1989 Studio had a point to prove at Paris Fashion Week, its plans for the rest of this year and into 2024, and why he used West’s creation as inspiration for a shoe of his own.  

Now that Paris Fashion Week is behind us, what are your thoughts on your experience? How was your second show received?

“This is an interesting question. Going into this show, I felt we had a point to prove. As a creative, we often must be mindful that not everyone will share our creative vision — and that’s fine. As frustrating as it can be, it’s a part of our responsibility to show them and make them see it. The feedback that I initially received from the showroom during Milan Fashion Week was that the collection was too large, the pieces were too simple and they simply didn’t understand. I took those comments as a personal challenge and made it a point with my team to show those buyers how context and styling could completely transform the collection that was seen as being too simple. Needless to say, we successfully completed the task after receiving positive feedback from our peers and press alike.”

Who at Paris Fashion Week inspired you the most?

“P [Pharrell]. I’ve never met or worked with him, but it’s always been at the top of my list. I truly believe that when the time is right and it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. I had such a sense of happiness for him when he was appointed as menswear creative director for Vuitton. To showcase his first collection in such a way with a clear vision was great to see. Another testament and example that anything is possible with persistence, talent and hard work.”

Looking at the back half of 2023 and into 2024, what are your plans for 1989 Studio?

“My focus is on finalizing the creative concept for our installation in Los Angeles and Tokyo this fall. The goal is to continue to expand our footprint when it comes to presentations and activations in our key markets around the world. We’re working to bring the experience and excitement of what we do in Paris with our runway shows to these markets. As far as Q1 [2024], I’ve been working with Archie and the PlayLab team on an insane concept for the next show. Let’s just say we’re going for a Golden Globe [laughs].”

Could you walk me through your creative process? 

“I start each season by compiling a folder of inspiration on my iPhone. This can be a color of paint, an image that I saw on a bus stop ad or actual clothing references. This process will last between a few weeks to months until I’m in a good place with the amount of reference material. I’ll then start to sift through the folder and pull the content that fits within the world that I am creating for that season. From there, the actual design process starts by creating pieces that the characters within this theme and world would wear throughout their daily routines. The baseline for any design is, ‘How would we — myself, Yashua Simmons and August [Miller] — show up in the collection or in the world that I am building?'”

Your reinterpretation of the red Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Don shoe from 2009 has been the subject of headlines since its Paris Fashion Week debut. How did you land on this concept with your Skate Low V01 silhouette?

“I had the idea of introducing this colorway early in the development process. The initial rollout consisted of the primary beige color to introduce the design and quality to the market with the iconic ‘Black Cat’ and ‘Red October’ to follow. With the introduction of the pastel palette this season, the timing felt right to include the new colorways as the perfect complements.”

How did you make this shoe, albeit inspired by West’s work with Louis Vuitton, uniquely your own?

“When designing this shoe, the goal was to convey the spirit and emotion of the original 2000s release while incorporating contemporary elements of functional skate sneakers with higher quality materials. If you look at luxury sneakers from that time, they have a certain polished and refined look to them. They did not speak directly to the consumer group that would become referred to as the culture. With this in mind, I thought, ‘What if you just found better materials or utilized similar materials of what we would implement in garments or bags, and you applied that to a sneaker that we like, in a form that we’re used to?'”

What made Paris Fashion Week the perfect time to reveal this shoe?

“To quote Ye: ‘$6,000 pair of shoes, we made it to the Paris news.'”

Why choose to Louis Vuitton model and pro skater Robert Neal for the campaign?

“The more I thought about it, it became clear that the statement of us working with Robert was exactly what we needed to anchor the collection. Coming off his LV campaign and co-sign by Virgil, it was the perfect collaboration given our overlapping ecosystems and desire to push the youth forward. The ultimate complement came in the form of Robert’s validation after skating in the shoes. This is when I knew we had something strong.”

What have you learned from West that informs how you work today?

“One of the biggest takeaways that I have adapted is the art of iteration. Work a concept, then rework it until it feels right and is aligned with your vision precisely — not 90 percent or 95 percent but 100 percent. This is the only way to ensure that your work is received as you intended. A second takeaway comes from his determination, his intent to bring whatever he’s imagined to life, to the world, at the highest possible level. As a result, impossibility is no longer a concept. The only question is, ‘How can I do it or who can I work with to make it happen as I envision?'”

What impact have those closest to West, including Virgil Abloh and Don C, had on your career?

“If Ye was, ‘Anything is possible, even if you have to do it by yourself,’ Virgil would be, ‘Anything is possible, specifically in the field that you are in, the fashion industry, but you don’t have to do it by yourself, and this is how you do it.’ Virgil taught us the power of community and how to successfully utilize your resources to achieve your goals across any industry or platform. Over the past 12 years, I’ve always viewed Don as a cool older brother and the one I am closest with. The one that keeps you grounded and will tell you if something isn’t ‘it.’ His honesty and genuine nature are rare traits in this industry.”

Were you at all hesitant to use West’s shoe as inspiration to create yours given how polarizing he is at the moment?

“Not at all. My only objective was to create a shoe that was reminiscent and paying homage to one of the most anticipated and sought-after sneakers of our generation. I, of course, wanted to receive co-signs from those who were close to him during the time of the original release — Don C, John Monopoly etc. Once the press coverage went live, they all sent their praises along with shoe sizes [laughs].”