Japanese Footwear Label grounds Serves Its SS5 Collection on a Platter at PFW

Known for its exaggerated soles and futuristic silhouettes, you can spot a pair of grounds sneakers walking towards you from a mile away. The Japanese label, founded by creative director Mikio Sakabe, has experienced a meteoric rise in the footwear industry — challenging everything we once knew about shoe design and wearable art. "It's more like entertainment. Cartoons, animation and exaggerated characters are the starting point of these sneakers," Sakabe tells us.

Now, just five years into the brand, grounds travelled to Paris Fashion Week to unveil its Spring/Summer 2025 collection aptly named "INTERRUPTER." There's always a feeling of awe in grounds' collections and its first presentation in Paris was no different. Joining the PFW calendar, the brand wanted to subvert expectations of what a traditional fashion showcase should be. Held at Chez Omar, show guests walked into a packed restaurant with grounds SS25 shoes served on platters along side food and drinks.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hypebae (@hypebae)

"This is our first time at Paris Fashion Week so, we tried to bring a bit of our home in Tokyo to the city. I wanted to combine European fashion and Japanese culture," Sakabe shares of the presentation inspiration.

As for the collection itself, the brand fused its signature outsoles with new, voluminous innovations. Lavender ruffles drape over platformed Mary Janes while sky-high metallic boots share an equally gold sole. Three new outsoles join the family of bubbly platform shoes this season — the "SKYSCRAPER," "CRYSTAL," and "JOG VISION." The "SKYSCRAPER" boasts an eight centimeter platform featuring synthetic materials that make you feel like you're walking on clouds. The "CRYSTAL" carries a mega-sized sole with attention grabbing characteristics and an exaggerated upper. Finally, "JOG VISION" takes inspiration from sports shoes — featuring neon colors and high tech materials.

Checkout the full collection in the gallery above and while you're here, read about Vaquera's first-ever footwear offering.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebae