Top 5 Minimalist Trainers that you need right now

There are certain things you appreciate in life as you get older. Going to bed with a good woman that lets you read your book in peace without informing you of all the things you have to do the next day that you have never failed once to do in the entire 5 years you've been together. Hence the futility in her reminding you to do things you have never forgotten to do.

That, and having logo free trainers, the embodiment of minimalism. I like my trainers like I like my cold press juicers, design-led, easy to clean and with a very reasonable returns policy.

Today I wanted to share with you some of these minimalist trainers that have hit my radar of late.

JAK SHOES

JAK was founded in 2014 in Lisbon and their vision is to create products with modern design, that are made of high-quality materials and age beautifully over time.

They source locally and responsibly, and follow a strict ethical code, making sure their products’ raw materials have less environmental impact, and that the people that work with them are fairly and ethically treated.

These shoes are the Ferrero Rocher of minimalist sneakers. Meaning they too would look out of place in a black-tie do at the ambassadors ball. (Honestly spoiling us with Ferrero Rocher? I mean they're on sale at Lidl right now!)

UNSEEN FOOTWEAR

I first heard of these through my friend Peter Brooker of From Tailors With Love. He runs a very witty podcast on the musings of James Bond, but his side hustle; Menswear Style podcast featured the founder, David Cullen. 

These trainers are made with comfort and style in mind, they offer a unique blend of textures, materials, and details to make sure you look and feel your best. I like these trainers like I like my Pasta, no instructions needed and Made in Italy. 

ZARA 

I know you might think this is an obvious one, but you can find some dirt cheap minimalist sneakers at Zara, and you can kick the hell out of them. Afterwards I'm done getting them scuffed and beat up, I give them to Tuula to experiment with and paint whacky designs all over them. Of course, if they don't come back looking the way I wanted, I give her three options. Replace them as new, walk the dogs in the morning, or allow me to fulfil my fantasy of becoming a trapeze artist. Luckily for her, she has never disappointed me once with her artwork.

NORTH - 89 

If you want true minimalism then look no further afield than Scandinavia. North 89 are bridging the gap between fashion and function - Discover their water-resistant sneakers. Sidebar - I was wondering where did Minimalism come from? Did the Scandinavians create it?

Well according to this article on The Art Story, it emerged in New York in the early 1960s. Minimalists distanced themselves from the Abstract Expressionists by removing suggestions of biography from their art or, indeed, metaphors of any kind. 

I know I was an early adopter of minimalism when I was a young Carl at school. For example, when it came to P.E and was asked to run 5k for cross country, I would do 20 steps and sit down in quiet protest. I was ahead of my time, although I just didn't know what to call it. 

The teachers did, they called it insubordination and ironically my punishment was to run 10k instead of 5k. Still I don't blame them. It was a different time and they couldn't see the bigger picture of what I was trying to achieve. 

MYRQVIST

Myrqvist wants to make Goodyear Welted shoes accessible to everyone.  The brand designs and produces high quality shoes in the Direct-to-Consumer market, aiming to keep prices affordable without compromising on quality. 

They believe less is more. And I love this brand, and it got me thinking, why do I love minimalism? Why is less more? So I googled it, and according to the Minimalist Vegan, 

Minimalism cuts down on excess consumption and helps reduce our carbon footprint by reducing the amount of stuff we buy or throw away. It also means living with less clutter, which frees up time for other activities like gardening or volunteering at your local food bank.

Away from trainers for a second, boy do I know a thing or two about clutter. I'm in the throes of a house move and the amount of crap that we have in boxes is quite unbelievable. Of course, I told Tuula that we really need to streamline our worldy possessions and I know we both felt like a weight had been lifted, pardon the pun, when we took all her family heirlooms and photos down to Oxfam.

Unfortunately, the photos we had laboured hours digitising onto USB sticks also got bundled in with the donations. But I told Tuula, who admittedly was inconsolable for a few hours, that at least it wasn't 'the other USB stick'. And I think that put things in perspective. 

Main Photo by Kyle Austin on Unsplash