Tomorrow, February 21st Commonwealth, in conjunction with DC Shoes, will release the Gatsby in two colorways. Inspired by the work of renowned American designers Charles and Ray Eames, these sneakers are among the best conceptual releases from DC since their Artist Series work with Kaws and Shepard Fairey. Low key yet striking, this will probably be as close as many of you get to these sneakers as they are sure to go quickly.

These shoes feature a large dot pattern on Maharam fabric designed by Ray Eames in 1947. You may not be familiar with Eames designs, but have undoubtedly encountered their incredible contributions to architecture, furniture, and graphic design. It seems fitting to their design philosophy that such a basic model be retooled into something so sophisticated.

Regardless of the inspiration behind these designs, these sneakers have a timeless aesthetic that does not pander to current trends. Yet, the vulcanized sole and purple bottoms firmly place the shoe in the here and now. I have to say I favor the black design, as it seems to fit the classic vibe of the design as a whole.

For those looking for a bit more of a statement shoe, the red colorway may fit the bill. Layered with the wrong jeans, I’m worried there might be too much red, but I have no doubt that these will sell to Cool Kids fans with no problem at all. The Commonwealth tag is a nice touch to break up the large panel on the upper.

As mentioned earlier, these shoes will be available at both Commonwealth locations, as well as in the Commonwealth online shop tomorrow, Thursday February 21st. I can see these moving very quickly so act fast!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 at 10:57 pm and is filed under collaborations, Shoes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.