Italian footwear brand Golden Goose is making all your retro dreams come true. The new Ball Star collection takes direct cues from the world of 1980s (and early 1990s) American streetball and skate culture to deliver a prime vintage aesthetic. But don’t be fooled by the lived-in look of these classic kicks, as they’re crafted from some of the finest materials that money can buy. Signature design meets premium heritage and the result is an iconic silhouette that brings the past into the present with palpable panache.
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Image: Golden Goose
With its oversized logo detailing and crackled leather toe, there’s simply no mistaking the Ball Star for any other sneaker of its kind. That said, you might be picking up on something of a Converse vibe. Like a pair of Chuck Taylor low tops, these new releases impart a generation-spanning sense of timelessness, even as they draw upon the visual hallmarks of a specific era. If nothing else, they go to show that 1980s and early 1990s street culture never really went out of style in the first place.
In a way, rocking a pair of Ball Stars is almost like taking a journey back through time, touching down on various iconographic benchmarks. Take one look at the sneakers and your mind instantly travels from urban streetball courts into college basketball arenas and then out the back door into jam-packed skate parks. Judging by the worn-in design, it’s as if the sneakers have undergone all kinds of adventures before arriving at your feet.
Understated at first sight perhaps, but the mighty Ball Star delivers the best in Italian craftsmanship. Take the signature white silhouette with the red GGDB star and red heel tab, for example. Beyond the street-ready veneer are ultra-premium uppers of goatskin, cow leather, and polyester, with a touch of nylon. The lining is similarly superior in its blend of cotton and cow leather, whilst the soles come forged from 100% pure rubber. This is pure handmade Italian craftsmanship all the way.
Image: Golden Goose
Golden Goose’s Ball Star comes available in a variety of styles and is joined by a new marketing campaign. Dubbed Roll the Time, it threads a line from the 1980s and early 1990s all the way up to our present day. Dress codes and styles may have changed in the time since and yet a number of passions remain exactly the same. Then and now, people take to the streets for basketball games and skateboarding sessions with the same enthusiasm as ever before. The Ball Star is nothing if not a testament to the endurance of these passions.
Of course, passion is the name of the game over at Golden Goose. Since launching two decades ago, the brand has continued to strike an expert balance between approachable design and tangible artisanship. The lived-in aesthetic of the new Ball Star is a recurring signature and a bold embrace of perfect imperfection. It also imbues each silhouette with an authentic and unmistakable soul, which becomes an extension of the wearer’s own unique identity. At the crossroads between passion, tradition, and vision, Golden Goose plies their trade, and the Ball Star is living proof.
Excitingly, the brand also just announced the arrival of the Golden Goose Co-Creation experience in Australia meaning every product you buy (whether it’s a pair of Ball Star sneakers, a pair of jeans, or a t-shirt), can be personalized to turn your Golden Goose item into something truly unique and one of a kind. Customers will have the opportunity to have a one-on-one experience with the brand’s artists and artisans to customize their newly purchased items with things like studs, charms, patches, hand-drawn illustrations, and more. The Co-Creation is available now at Westfield Sydney, Westfield Bondi Junction, Chadstone Shopping Centre and the Golden Goose flagship store in Melbourne.
Image: Golden Goose
Image: Golden Goose
Image: Golden Goose
