For 30 years, the reaction to the spring in our heel has been the same: "What is that?" It was rarely a compliment. So when British GQ's Adam Cheung published a feature titled "How fashion guys became obsessed with a 30-year-old orthopaedic shoe," we read it twice.
The short version: he found a pair of black Z-CoiL Freedoms in a Tokyo vintage shop, assumed they were some obscure designer sneaker, and went home to Google "sneakers with giant spring heel." Then he found us. Then he found a London menswear model, a footwear designer, and an Osaka creator who'd all done the same thing. Read the full piece here.
Our favorite line comes from designer Jess Dalton, who says Z-CoiL is "so anti-fashion that it goes full circle." We'll take it.
Why the spring is on the outside
Most sneaker tech is hidden: foam in the midsole, air units behind little windows, carbon plates you never see. Ours isn't. The conical coil in the heel compresses when you land and gives energy back as you push off, and the built-in orthotic and rocker sole keep your stride moving forward. We couldn't hide the coil, so we stopped trying. The thing that makes the shoe work is the thing that makes it look the way it does. The research is on our research page.
This isn't our first fashion moment
For autumn/winter 2018, Christopher Kane sent crystal-covered Z-CoiLs down his London runway. GQ's point is that the shoe doesn't need crystals anymore. The strange medical shoe is enough on its own.
The shoe he found
It was the Freedom in black. Same one we've made for years, same one thousands of nurses, teachers, and warehouse crews wear on concrete every shift. If you came here from GQ, that's the one to start with: The Freedom Black. Wear them for 30 days in your real life, and if they don't earn a place in your rotation, send them back.
And Adam, if you're reading, your pair is on its way. We checked the size first.
