Rei Kawakubo, the Japanese fashion legend known for her envelope-pushing creations, is big on polka dots. Soon, we’ll also find them on the Bata Tennis shoes her fashion house Comme des Garçons will be creating.
The white canvas shoes invented in 1894 have been produced in Batanagar, West Bengal, since 1934. For most of us, the rubber-toed shoes have been school staples, associated with physical training-drudgery or football in the rains.
In April, on the 120th anniversary of the brand, Charles Pignal (the great-grandson of company’s founder Tomas Bata), decided it was time to give it a face lift. An international edition, Bata Tennis, was launched and made available in Colette (Paris), Dover Street Market (New York, London and Tokyo) and The Webster (Miami).
The new – and first – collaboration is another step forward for the brand. The two polka-dotted varieties (seen above) will be retailed starting December in CDG stores and Colette. We’ll be biding time in our vintage Batas until then.
Batatennis.com.sg
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