The day has come: after Maison Margiela debuted its collab with sportswear behemoth Reebok at its Artisanal show back in January, the label is finally ready to unleash the InstaPump Tabi on the world.
Adding fresh fuel to the still-burning XXL sneaker fire, the style takes the label’s unmistakeable cloven hoof silhouette, adds a towering rubber sole, and sends it out onto the shelves in multiple, bold-hued colourways (as well as an all-black and all-white faux croc embellished iteration for all the hardcore Maison Margiela minimalists out there looking to extend their Tabi collection).
With the split-toed icon first launched back in 1988, the style has become one of the most iconic shoes in fashion, going through countless transformations within the revered house’s collections – with Pollock-esque, paint splattered, glitter-dipped, rich velvet, and photo-reflective iterations among them.
This new Tabi InstaPump hybrid – a high-fashion Frankenstein’s Monster of a style – adds to the shoe’s inimitable legacy. Through its chunky heeled version and the accompanying flat style, Maison Margiela’s creative director John Galliano set out to create a statement piece for the cyber-industrial revolution, inspired by the technology and language of today, as a way of kitting out his ‘digital nomads’ for the uncertain future they (and we all) are facing.
A conversation between humanity and tech in the digital age, we suggest checking out the following glitchy short to make it all make sense. Spoiler: be ready to descend into a trippy world where AI has taken over.
Head here to get your hands on a pair.