Hasta La Ideas

Innovation meets old-world style in Cole Haan’s unconventional take on the dress shoe

Jumping ahead of the current trends in men’s footwear, Cole Haan‘s LunarGrand wingtip is a classically designed full brogue dress shoe updated with an ergonomic outsole for unmatched comfort. Launching 10 February 2012, the LunarGrand has been “engineered to conquer the streets of New York City” by combining a classic design from one of the most recognizable names in formal footwear with innovative Lunarlon outsole from their parent company—Nike.

While we love the striking design of a contrasting outsole, in the LunarGrand’s case it also serves a distinct purpose. The ultra-lightweight Lunarlon increases flex, movement and wearability—making the LunarGrand a great looking, super comfortable dress shoe alternative. I walked the show floor of CES for three days straight to test the LunarGrands and became an instant fan—never before have my feet felt so good at that beast of a trade show.

This marriage of a classic design aesthetic and contemporary tech was created with the nomadic city dwelling man in mind. Cole Haan’s VP of Design Phil Russo explains “the goal of the design process was to create a wingtip to take on the streets of New York City—a shoe that utilized motion-enhancing innovations at the same time as retaining its authentic and timeless aesthetic.”

Because of their lightweight design and superior comfort we see the LunarGrand as the ideal travel shoe, as it looks just as good dressed up or down. And this is no coincidence, as Russo goes on to explain that the shoe concept came about from understanding “what people are doing in their shoes today, their expectations of style and demands of functionality,” pushing Russo and his design team to “create products that really do make a difference as people go about their everyday lives.”

For the time being the LunarGrand wingtip will be available exclusively at the Cole Haan SoHo store starting Friday, 10 February. All five colorways will be on hand retailing for $248.