Each week, we dive into the vast archives of our favourite brands and houses to extract and share their most luxurious or technical (and thus, pricey) miscellanea. This week, our drip of choice is Onitsuka Tiger’s Mexico 66 Cactful.
There was a time when improving on anything heritage was deemed blasphemous and disrespectful. After all, classics are appreciated for their ability to stay the same even as time trudges on. That changed when technology helped craftsmen see value in reinvention so that we can further extend the lifetimes and reigns of these cultural icons.
For Onitsuka Tiger, the signature Mexico 66 shoe is one icon that has recently undergone such a transformation. The slender silhouette is now reimagined as the Mexico 66 Cactful, with a cactus-engineered material covering more than 20% of the shoe’s upper — all in an ode to the brand’s special relationship with the country.
This choice did not come at random. The Mexico 66 was originally designed in 1966 for Japanese athletes to attend the 1968 Mexico Games; the three intersecting lines were first known as “Mexico Lines” before transforming into the Onitsuka Tiger Stripes we are all familiar with now. So this new incorporation of a plant-based material derived from the Nopal cactus, a species found in large numbers in Mexico, is only a further celebration of this special relationship — all with a mind to be more mindful of the past, to be more environmentally friendly for the future.
Co-created by the Japanese brand and Mexican entrepreneurs Adrian Lopez Velarde and Marte Cazarez, the new material, Desserto, transforms Mexican cactus fibres into a quality material that is highly durable, lightweight and resistant to UV rays. It’s also void of harmful chemicals like phthalates or PVC and particularly supple to the touch — enabling the sleek lines of the Mexico 66 Cactful to appear even clearer while being more comfortable to wear.
The Mexico 66 Cactful’s Desserto also produces about 80% less CO2 emissions than genuine conventional leather. Efforts are also being made to use leftover cacti from the production for food purposes. Other parts of the shoe, like the sock liner and shoelaces, are also made of recycled materials.
While retaining the iconic design elements of the Mexico 66, five custom colours are used to enhance the soft texture characteristic of this classic running shoe. Each shade takes advantage of Desserto’s special texture since they would not be expressed as nicely on real leather.
Click here to catch up with our November 2022 issue.
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