A few seasons ago we would never have believed that a historic brand like Church’s – born in 1873 in the town of Northampton, and became one of the leading brands of handmade men’s footwear – could launch a sneaker. Yet today we have to reconsider, but in a positive way. Indeed, the historic English brand, currently owned by the Prada group since 1999, not only launched a collection of sneakers for both him and her, but did so in the smartest way possible. And not because it seized the signals of a world, the fashion world, in continuous evolution, but because it managed to create something contemporary while remaining true to its essence. Starting with the name: the Church’s CH873 sneakers, launched a few days ago in London during an event at Soho Vinyl Factory, a space previously used for the creation and production of vinyl, take the acronym of the brand initials and its founding year, 1873, in fact. Halfway between modernity and retro aesthetics, the sneakers are built with an ultra-light sole imprinted with the brand logo, and come in fifteen variants, with more formal models entirely in leather alternated with more sporty models in suede and nylon. The men’s line and the women’s line differ only in colors: white, black, and brown for men, silver, pink, gold, and blue for women, but also available are original tricolor combinations, dedicated to both. Available in all Church’s stores and online at www.church-footwear.com since February 2019.