In a country characterised by nuance, detail is everything in the South African contemporary fashion lexicon. As an important element of our greater culture, from head to toe, no item of clothing is without significance and in 2022, the shoe that seems to have trailblazed its way ahead of the others is the loafer.
Street fashion in particular is the ultimate playground of South African fashion, with young designers often starting within that realm. Think also of all the thrift boutiques we see on social media, with an endless stream of vintage sportswear and sneakers.
Given influences over the past few years, such as the rising popularity (and invasive nature) of sneakerhead culture, a lean towards shapewear and the pandemic acting as the final nail in the coffin for much traditional professional attire, it makes sense that anything but the loafer would be the shoe form of the year.
Yet, like a dark horse, it is.
How the loafer ambled its way to shoe of the year
It walks the fine line between the beauties of class and comfort
Image: Christian Vierig/Getty Images
In a country characterised by nuance, detail is everything in the South African contemporary fashion lexicon. As an important element of our greater culture, from head to toe, no item of clothing is without significance and in 2022, the shoe that seems to have trailblazed its way ahead of the others is the loafer.
Street fashion in particular is the ultimate playground of South African fashion, with young designers often starting within that realm. Think also of all the thrift boutiques we see on social media, with an endless stream of vintage sportswear and sneakers.
Given influences over the past few years, such as the rising popularity (and invasive nature) of sneakerhead culture, a lean towards shapewear and the pandemic acting as the final nail in the coffin for much traditional professional attire, it makes sense that anything but the loafer would be the shoe form of the year.
Yet, like a dark horse, it is.
Image: Aart Verrips
Its saving grace is that it walks the fine line between the beauties of class and comfort. In favour of class, this year saw the collaboration of 1980s men's wear brand Dakotas and Wanda Lephoto, who seeks to merge luxury classic fashion wear and African lived culture.
In their collaboration, we saw the Hi Shine Mule loafer. The shoe is a warm reminder of how the loafer has become an integral part of the lexicon of South African luxury, divorced from its English origins. In the absence of consistent documentation and archival culture, Dakotas x Wanda Lephoto evokes memories of the prevalence of the loafer as a fashion staple in Skhothane culture.
Amble, a Cape Town slow fashion brand, also specialises in loafers, with the ethical cleanse of upcycled leather. This is exemplary in that the loafer, in 2022, pays tribute to its long journey towards becoming a contemporary luxury symbol, while also being aware of the modern fashion climate (crisis). Amble’s loafers may be black leather, but they have the subtle green of good politics.
In terms of colours, no one is doing it like a brand megaforce. For comfort, there’s none other than the Croc! Though it seems as if Crocs may be a genre of a shoe, removed from our taxonomy of fashion, they are, by definition, loafers. Gaining popularity for their comfort, they have seen a total rebrand in recent years — from being the DUFF of shoes to something of a staple for many.
Image: Aart Verrips
Image: Aart Verrips
A year ago we wrote about how Crocs had been purified by social media and were officially in. Though social media is, and will for a long time, lead the conversation on what’s in and what’s out, Crocs have done something akin to a miracle in the digital age: survived. They’ve endured the flurry of hype and back-and-forth discourse and are, in the tail end of 2022, just cool to have. It isn’t so much a statement any more or an affirmation of their return. While it might have started like that, in an almost anti-elite way, surviving a year points to the fact that once easily slipped on, they become harder to take off.
So in 2022 the Croc, with its fun 2000s-esque bedazzling, is just one face of shoe that has seemingly won the year. What’s next for fashion might come quickly, as things go these days, but for now, whether slipping into comfort or lacing up for a classy look, the loafer is a subtle and determined fighter.
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