It’s been a conundrum for me the past 10 years – what sneakers do I wear with my selvedge denim? Those who have attempted to pair a white sneaker with some deep, dark, indigo-dyed jeans know the issue: that dye is going to stain your kicks around the ankle in about 5 minutes.
For years, I’ve tried matching various running sneakers that didn’t have as much white on them with my jeans to see if the fit would work, but they just didn’t look right. Japanese denim for the most part has a very vintage look and feel, and they go well with boots or a classic Chuck Taylor sneaker. Most of the sneakers I own are more modern and techy, and lend themselves to stretchy black skinny jeans or a baggy cargo that I can roll up.
This year, I gave up. I got a pair of classic Chuck 70 High’s and said screw it – they’re gonna get some indigo on them and that’s fine – it’ll give them character. One of the main reasons I love selvedge denim so much is that as you wear them, they begin to fade and tell a story about where you’ve been and how you wore them. Sneakers do the same thing, so why not let them get dirty and show a little character.
People ask me “how do you clean them?” I reply, “I don’t.” It is what it is. I don’t clean my sneakers and I rarely wash my jeans. But we’ll get into that subject another time.
