Paraboot x Universal Works

Paraboot x Universal Works is here.

A Universal Works take on the iconic Michael shoe, textured, tasselled, and debossed in three colourways, alongside a clothing capsule that features jackets, t-shirts and bandanas. All unified under the tagline “the Beauty in the Imperfection”.

40 years ago, our Co-Founder David bought his first pair of Paraboot Michaels, choosing them to bridge the gap between casual sneakers and smarter work shoes. He has gone on to own multiple pairs of Paraboots in the years since, so you could say this collaboration was a long time coming.

Fast forward to 2019, and this decades-long affinity got David off to a great start when we met the Paraboot team for the first time. The feeling was, in fact, mutual; their CEO Eric was already wearing UW when we met.

As conversations progressed, we visited their factory, and learnt about their approach to sourcing what they call “the perfect leathers”. This got us thinking, can leather ever be truly perfect? For us, the natural marks and variations are what make it beautiful. These subtle differences are almost invisible to the eye, yet they show the honesty of the material. Or, La Beauté Dans L’Imperfection.

“It’s always going to have some imperfections, and we should celebrate it, not run away from it, not hide from it.”—David Keyte. 

With this in mind, we decided to shoot the collaboration where it all started, the Paraboot factory in Southeastern France. We saw the collaboration being made and met the people who were making it, who also feature in the final film and imagery.

The focus of the collaboration is the iconic Michael shoe, which turns 80 this year. Reimagined in three colourways: black, coffee and sand, each pair combines a smooth and textured suede-like finish, removable fringing, and is debossed with the message of the project.

“It’s about people. That’s what made it work.”—David Keyte 

We saw each shoe being handcrafted by a team of skilled experts, arranging leathers like a huge game of Tetris after cutting on a laser machine, debossing stamps and stitching with the Norwegian Welt technique, where the upper is attached to the midsole, then to the outsole. Water-tight and durable, this also means that each pair can be re-soled multiple times, lasting for years.

Packed in our cases for the trip, worn around the factory, on the shoot and sitting alongside the collaboration footwear sits a small clothing capsule. An embroidered navy jacket; a jacket and chino in a French blue cotton twill; short and long sleeve t-shirts in navy and ecru; and a printed bandana.

For the graphics: a repurposed Paraboot advertising campaign from the 1960s, stamped with the phrase Manufacture De Chaussures Extra. “Extra” is not a French word, but was used here to mean “special”. The perfect meeting of French and English—much like this collaboration itself, and the spirit of Future Friendship that it represents.

Head to the link below to browse the full collection. Discover the collection at Paraboot, Universal Works and international retailers.

PARABOOT X UNIVERSAL WORKS.