A Bite into Givenchy’s New Creature Feature - Men's Folio
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A Bite into Givenchy’s New Creature Feature

  • By Men's Folio

“What’s your name again?

“Chrissie.”

“Where we goin’?”

“Swimming!”

Over forty years since the release of Jaws, the opening scene still sends chills rippling down our spines. Touted as one of the greatest Hollywood movies of all time, Givenchy finally snaps a piece of the action with the introduction of the JAW sneaker and bag for their men’s Fall/Winter’18 collection.

Amidst Chrissie’s shrill cries, flailing arms and perturbing proclamation that she was going to die as she was violently yanked off the buoy, perhaps what really made viewers’ blood run cold was the fact that the predator was never actually visible. We simply knew. Spielberg’s mastery of mystifying while asserting the unknown left viewers with the sick realisation that we can know so little but fear so much.

jaw sneaker

Inklings of this understated-ness is not lost in the JAW sneaker, which features a streamlined silhouette in a minimalistic colourway. The slightly chunky teeth-like soles is also a nod to track shoes of the sixties and seventies – the same era that the flick was released. This film-inspired urban sport sneaker is artistic director Clare Waight Keller’s first of such a creation for the fashion house; and while we are excited to see these kicks amble its way off the runway and into stores, we cannot help but reminisce about the blockbuster near and dear to our hearts.

The thing about Jaws is that it did not just make waves in the cinema world; it was a masterpiece in every sense of the word, and we are talking business and culture. When Jaws was released in 1975, the hit was an ambitious amalgamation of traditional American horror, adventure, thriller, mystery — the list goes on. Its legacy as a genre-defining, or even redefining, film lies in the way it managed to represent each genre so industriously and meticulously.

The JAW bag is in its own right a genre crossover that we didn’t know we needed. Unmistakably inspired by scuba gear, the water-resistant and versatile backpack/weekender features a zippered bottom compartment to hold voluminous items and a sporty Velcro closure. Worlds are colliding here – the polished with the rugged, the form with the function, and the luxe with the necessary.  

 

Words by Valerie Wong