In a landscape dominated by hype-driven silhouettes, Lacoste’s Spinor franchise emerges as something different, bold, sculptural, and deeply considered. Described as authentic, progressive, and futuristic, the Spinor is a totally new sneaker. It marks a confident step into the active and streetwear space, not by chasing trends, but by drawing from Lacoste’s own archives, subcultural legacy, and commitment to design innovation.
Built on the foundations of the early 2000s Victory model and reimagined through experimental 3D workflows, the Spinor challenges long-held assumptions about what Lacoste footwear can be. From the fluid midsole design inspired by a crocodile gliding through water, to the brand-new A.D.S. foam developed for supreme comfort, this is a shoe rooted in the past but built for now, and what’s next. With street-level styling cues drawn from Marseille to São Paulo and an early collab with Atmos already under its belt, the Spinor has rightfully earned our attention.
We sat down with Tom Weightman, Footwear Design Manager at Lacoste, to unpack the story behind the Spinor, its inspirations, innovations, and the future of the Silhouette.
What does it mean for the Lacoste Spinor to be described as authentic, progressive, and futuristic?
Authentic might be a word that some people question when looking at Lacoste in the streetwear sneaker market, however we do have a small archive of sneakers that date back to the early 2000’s, and in this case we took inspiration from a model called the Victory from 2001. Today, we have quite a large Active footwear pillar, but we felt there was space for a new franchise which offered our consumer something fresh. The Spinor brings a new energy to the category, that feels futuristic and progressive.
Initially we tried to push the aesthetic into an uncomfortable territory, at least for Lacoste. This involved a lot of 3D exploration, working on Gravity Sketch to explore the shoes 3D form. We then 3D printed our final concept, which became the north star of what we were trying to achieve with the shoe. Eventually the design was reigned in for a commercial appeal. Though we kept the geometries in a more contemporary space, with stack heights and a midsole foam consistent with performance running shoes of today, and the upper was simplified to allow the tooling to become the hero. The final shoe still feels progressive for the brand.
What inspired the decision to design a shoe aimed at a new, streetwear-focused consumer?
Well, in fact, this is not a new consumer for Lacoste. The brand actually has a long legacy in the streetwear world, particularly among subcultures seen in France and Brazil, most notably in Paris, Marseille and Sao Paolo. These may not the stereotypical consumers that people first associate with Lacoste. However, they are just as legitimate and important to the brand as any other. To these consumers, Lacoste is part of their identity, it forms part of their daily uniform. The Spinor franchise was created to accompany the Lacoste tracksuits, caps and accessories worn in the streets of Marseille, Sao Paulo and beyond. We are always inspired by the dedication that these individuals show to our brand, so we dedicate this project to them.
In what ways does the conceptual design of the Spinor set it apart from traditional Lacoste footwear?
For many years Lacoste footwear was known for its simple leather shoes, typically white, and with a green crocodile. Over the past few years the footwear teams have worked incredibly hard to expand the category and that has involved a lot of work in the active space, with new franchises such as the L003, Audyssor and Storm. Each of these families serve their own purpose within our collection, but we felt that we were missing something new and bold. When it came to the Spinor line, we knew that in order to make an impact we would not only have to set it apart from our own footwear lines, but from the rest of the market too. This lead to the inspiration behind the bold and aggressive design language that you see on the midsole and outsole.
Beyond just the aesthetics, comfort was a key focus for us. We have a brand objective to provide the best possible experience when buying our products and of course, comfort was at the top of the list. This aim lead us to developing new midsole compounds, developing a new last, and working with our factories to ensure the all-day comfort the shoes provided was prioritised.
Why is now the right time for Lacoste to expand deeper into the active and streetwear space?
Lacoste is a brand which began in sport, founded by tennis champion Rene Lacoste, so sport has always been at the core of our brand. We are proud of our performance category to this day, still producing high performing tennis shoes for some of the sport’s best players. Because of this, the active space makes sense for us, as we can filter down technologies and materials from performance products into our active styles. We have a unique positioning too, due to our legacy in both sport and fashion, we often bring these worlds together when creating new products – for example this was the inspiration behind the L003 franchise.
Regarding the need for the Spinor in particular, we have been aware of a decline in the court shoe consumer for some time now and the need to be ready to offer our something new in the active space. Many more customers are opting for comfort, and for that they look to the high-stack, cushioned running shoes which have been dominating the space for the past ten years or so. We saw an opportunity to create a shoe which had the cushioning, rebound and comfort of a running shoe, but with a familiar or even nostalgic lifestyle aesthetic. This is why the upper of the shoe remained somewhat simplistic, with our attention on the bold and visually striking midsole.
What was the core design inspiration behind the Spinor, and how is the idea of a crocodile’s movement through water reflected visually?
We knew we needed to create a bold and unique aesthetic to showcase the new foam compound that we were developing for the midsole. Without a ‘visible’ technology, we needed to create visual interest through the sculpting of the foam itself. Throughout the ideation period, we were inspired by imagery of both water ripples and gravity waves which populated our moodboards. Somewhat like the subcultures that inspired us, the crocodile submerges itself below the surface of its environment, moving slowly but purposefully along the waterline. The ripples created by the crocodile gave birth to the aesthetic that you see on the midsole and outsole – it was important to us that the design language ran seamlessly and continuously around the sole to create a 360 design.
The development behind the Spinor’s midsole is one of my favourite stories behind the shoe. Typically, when we send a blueprint to our factory, it is received by the 3D engineers and drawn up into a 3D file which is then prototyped or 3D printed. In this instance, however, upon arriving at our factory in China, we were surprised to see that our colleague from the workshop had actually hand-carved a model our sole entirely by hand – it was incredible workmanship. In fact, we actually preferred the hand-made model to the 3D file that we later received from the mould shop. After some back and forth, and some trips to the workshop to make some amendments, we made the decision to send the hand carved model to our mould shop. Once there, they 3D scanned the sculpture to create the initial 3D model. That was the foundation of final tooling which you see today – it was one of the most authentic approaches I have seen to creating a midsole in my career.
What’s the significance of using a monochromatic pattern on the upper? Are there plans to explore more colour variations?
We have two Spinor models launching for AW25. The Spinor Premium sits at a higher price point and features some more technologies and has an engineered jacquard upper. This version will come in monochrome colourways such as White, Black, Grey and Brown. We wanted this to feel elevated and technical, and the monochrome colour block is something we have used a lot in our footwear over recent years, whether on the catwalk or the tennis court.
Then we have the Spinor, which has a debossed mesh upper which compliements the midsole’s design language and will be at a lower price point. This version will be available in many more energetic colourways which will be dropping across the summer and can be styled in many ways – these include bold gradient prints inspired by our AW25 colour palette. Look out for one in particular which was a nod to our consumers in Marseille.
Why was it important to collaborate with atmos for the early release, and what’s the story behind that partnership?
This was a collaboration that happened quite organically. Atmos wanted to work on a shoe together to showcase at their 25 year anniversary at Atmoscon, and we had just finalised the Spinor projects. When they saw our upcoming styles, they requested the Spinor for the collaboration. This made sense to us, due to Atmos’s status in streetwear and the intended audience for the shoe. We had collaborated with Atmos in 2020, with the Street Tennis pack, which featured a tennis ball material on the upper. Wallowed Atmos a lot of freedom on how they envisioned their version of the shoe, and they were keen to bring back the essence of the Street Tennis collab which is why we saw the return of the volt felt upper.
The process had to be very fast in order to get the shoe ready in time for the event, and in fact the shoe, which was limited to 250 pairs, is a combination of both the Spinor and Spinor Premium – so the Atmos version is the only one of its kind. It’s been great seeing the reaction to this collaboration and maintaining the relationship with our friends at Atmos. We are excited for the next one!
How does the A.D.S. (“Absorption de Shock”) foam compound work, and how does it elevate comfort and performance?
The name ‘Absorption de Shock’ (Shock Absorption) / A.D.S comes from a midsole technology from our archive, used on our Repel tennis shoes from the 2000’s. This link to our archive and history was important to us, so we knew we wanted to use the name for the new technology we were working on for this shoe.
A.D.S Foam is a brand-new midsole compound that we created for the Spinor family. It uses a mix of POE and EVA, and is comparable to some of the best running shoes on the market today, providing maximum cushioning and rebound. The challenge for us was finding the right density, because the initial wear test reports found that it gave an incredible sensation when you put it on, but after some time wearing it was just too soft. Eventually we increased the density to find a right balance, without losing the sensation that we loved from the initial trial.
Both Spinor models use the same midsole compound, however the Spinor Premium also features a gel insert on the medial side which provides some extra comfort underfoot.
What kind of outfit or styling do you envision people pairing with the Lacoste Spinor?
As always, people will have their own ideas on how they will style their shoes and the two versions of the Spinor may have slightly different consumers. Some of the marketing you might see behind the Spinor Premium will even have models styling it with smarter attire. This is where you see the blend of fashion and sport which embodies Lacoste.
But as for the team behind the Spinor, we of course envisioned it paired with a full Lacoste tracksuit and Girolle cap in the streets of Marseille or Sao Paulo. These are the consumers that drove the inspiration behind the shoe, and we wanted this to be a tribute to them. As mentioned previously, we even created a Marseille inspired colourway, which was something our French colleagues were passionate about doing.
How does innovation drive the Spinor line, and what will it play in shaping Lacoste’s future direction?
We wanted the Spinor to be a perfect blend of performance technologies with a lifestyle aesthetic. Combining maximum cushioning with a sleek and contemporary upper design. We believe we achieved this with the first iterations of the franchise, and we hope that our consumers appreciate the elements that bring these shoes to life. We will continue to build out the Spinor franchise, so you will see more styles introduced to the line over the next few seasons with fresh updates, graphics, SMUs, winterised versions and much more.
Regarding the future direction of Lacoste, I believe the possibilities are endless. We will continue to push both our fashion angle through the amazing work that Pelagia Kolotouros and her team are doing, providing footwear for upcoming fashion shows which then filter down into our mainline. Our dedicated Performance team are in the middle of finalising an exciting new line of tennis shoes for our Pro athletes. We have a Women’s footwear team which are dedicated to sculpting the female Lacoste footwear consumer, which will include women’s exclusive styles and much more.
We are excited for everyone to see what’s next in store.
