Koio Taps Sculptor Bradley Duncan for Earth-Toned "Primo" Sneaker

Back in 2017, luxury sneaker brand Koio tapped New York City tattoo artist JonBoy for a pair of premium suede shoes. This time, the brand has teamed up with Los Angeles-based sculptor Bradley Duncan for a high-top “Primo” sneaker that fosters the “fundamental ideals of landscapes and natural formations.”

Influenced by patterns in nature, Duncan creates his sculptures out of organic materials in order to evoke universal ideas of order, balance and form. For his collaboration with Koio, he reduces elements to their simplest forms, crafting a raw, pared-down sneaker that references his artistic influences. Crafted in natural leather, the sneaker features clear soles that “reveal the construction of the shoe and lets light pass through.” A miniature version of Duncan’s signature WAVEFORM sculpture is incorporated into each shoe’s lacing.

“Waveforms exist all around us, at all times,” Duncan explains. “Although they are not tangible, they can be graphed. WAVEFORM sculptures have sine, square, triangle, or sawtooth waveform patterns carved out of them. Once they are cut and connected they present themselves as tree towers, sun stumps and Earth Altars.” By bringing his ideas of “waveforms” into the collaboration, Duncan both figuratively and literally integrates sculpture into every pair of sneakers.

Expect the Bradley Duncan x Koio sneaker to drop February 27 on Koio’s website. The launch will kick off with an event at the Koio store in Venice.

Elsewhere in footwear, Aimé Leon Dore has teased a New Balance 827 collaboration.