An Ode To Raf Simons' Ozweego: the Original Chunky Sneaker

2013 wasn’t a particularly notable year for streetwear, but in the sneaker scene, something was stirring, and it was about to bring big change. Raf Simons, a self-proclaimed Stan Smith fan, inked a deal with adidas and released his own take on the Stan Smith silhouette. The super-clean take on the sneaker was a success, even though its only real deviations from the original came from elevated leather uppers, Raf Simons’ own portrait on the tongue, and the R-shaped perforations on the side of the shoe. Then came his second collaborative shoe - one that would almost single-handedly put an end to the minimalist sneaker movement that cemented the success of his own Stan Smith, and reshape the future of the sneaker scene to come.

Before 2013, the adidas Ozweego had been a running shoe. Originally introduced in 1996, it featured basic running tech like adiPRENE cushioning, and two years later it was updated with Torsion sole support. Over the years, the shoe saw a couple of variations, before the 3-Stripes perfected its recipe in the early 2000s and the Ozweego 5 hit the shelves. As expected, its design was quintessentially 90s: the ‘Weegz’ came decked out with perforated and panelled uppers, and arrived in outrageous colourways that would only work alongside the most obnoxious Y2K fit. But one thing that always stuck out about the Ozweego was its chunky build. For a running shoe, the silhouette was bulky, and it looked a hell of a lot heavier than it was. As sneaker trends moved on, the Ozweego was shelved, but there’s no doubt that its curvy build was what caught the eye of the Belgian-born designer years later.

By the time he was set to join adidas, Raf had already enjoyed a number of critically acclaimed collections with his own label, and a long-term tenure at Jil Sander. During 2012, he was hired at Dior, where he worked on 20 collections over the course of a three-year tenure, and balanced this with his adidas efforts. Though his Dior efforts were feminine and refined, his own label continued to explore youth culture, with chunky sneakers featuring heavily in his SS and FW13 shows. The resulting Ozweegos then dropped during the FW season.

In terms of the actual design, Raf’s Ozweego bore little resemblance to its predecessor, but it was likely the nostalgia factor that drove him to reinvent the silhouette. The rework was able to give the shoe a second life, and although the original was never particularly popular, the same can’t be said for the collaborative version. Made of mesh and leather (the later versions swapped out mesh for canvas) the Raf Simons Ozweego 1 and 2 took on a bulky and bulbous look, with plastic detailing adding even more dimension to the shape. If that wasn’t enough, the colour palettes were even more outlandish than the original, with the layered design offering up more room for experimentation across the sneakers’ upper.

Though divisive at first, the style was quickly embraced by notable early adopters and Simons’ fans, with the likes of A$AP Rocky playing a huge part in the sneaker’s early success. In the years that followed, just about every brand set out to launch its own ugly, chunky sneaker - with the Balenciaga Triple S being just one of the styles to follow. However, none really had the same cultural ‘IKYK’ pull as the Ozweego did, and during those few years, it became a status symbol.

The Balenciaga Triple S was first shown in January of 2017, the same year that adidas dropped the Yeezy 700 Boost “Wave Runner”. Both are regarded as founding members of the dad shoe trend, but by this time, the Ozweego had already been around for four years. While it would have been easy enough to pass on the reins, the Ozweego still had some serious life left in it and during the same year, A$AP Rocky, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert and Frank Ocean would go on to release their track “RAF”. An ode to the designer (who was then focused on adidas, his own collections and Calvin Klein) the track contained bars like “It’s rare Raf when I wear Raf, bare Raf when I rare Raf’, as well as “Don’t step on my Raf Simons” while the rappers paraded round in the shoes and archive Raf clothing in the accompanying video. At the same time, Raf’s own work had reached a new level of notoriety within the fashion crowd, with his iconic ‘I heart NY’ shirt taking over Instagram thanks to the likes of Rocky, Harry Styles and Bloody Osiris, and his infamous yellow and black puffer jacket having been pictured just months before on Rihanna. With endorsement from some of the most stylish people in streetwear, the collaborative Ozweego became one of the most accessible entry points for fans to get their hands on a piece from the buzziest designer in the game.

However, as pioneering as the shoe was, as time went on it seemed to fall into a trap of complacency. While the early pairs were all about the “all kinds of crazy colours”, later iterations took on more subdued tones, with cream and black pairs forming the bases for the collections to follow. Other iterations took on two-toned make-ups, and then chromed versions followed. Rival chunky sneakers were still managing to experiment with colour - by now the Triple S had gained more traction, and the Ozweego just wasn’t as exciting as it had been before. Shortly after Raf left adidas, the 3-Stripes looked to re-invent the silhouette yet again, creating the lifestyle-focused Ozweego that can be seen in stores today. Raf went on to launch sneakers under his own line, with one of the most notable efforts being the Raf Simons RUNNER, which looked a lot like a more toned-down version of the Ozweego.

Whether the adidas x Raf Simons Ozweego was really ahead of its time is up for debate, but it certainly managed to challenge our perceptions of what’s ‘ugly’ and what’s desirable, as well as pave the way for more iconic silhouettes to come. As time goes on, we’d have loved to see them re-emerge from the archives, but with the closing of his eponymous line, we’ll have to settle for the nostalgia of our own Raf-clad youth, for now at least.