Introducing the Golden Goose Sneakers
Golden Goose, launched in Venice, Italy, in 2000, offers up luxury fashion without the appearance of high-end design. Golden Goose founders Francesca Rinaldo and Alessandro Gallo turned distressed handmade designs into the celebrity sneaker of choice, expanding its lineup over the years.
The two founders found inspiration from locales around the world, using collected memories and ideas from global culture to inform sneaker designs. That's why the manual touches placed on each sneaker hold such a crucial level of importance. Rinaldo and Gallo didn't just create a vintage brand, though. The Italian fashion label wanted to merge a design that stood against the high-class aesthetic but displayed the attention to craftsmanship and detail expected from a top-shelf Italian designer.
Each Golden Goose Deluxe Brand sneaker is handmade and evokes a heritage ethos as the sneaker makers place intentional marks, tears and scratches on the shoes. While the purposefully distressed designs give the sneakers a worn-in look, each silhouette has a somewhat uniform design. However, slight variations make every pair — and sometimes each shoe within a pair — a standalone work of art.
Highly Sought-After Golden Goose Designs
While the distressed handmade designs of Golden Goose are often the topic of choice when discussing the Italian brand, another highlight of the brand is its focus on comfort. The distressing helps to work the shoe in, and the leather becomes softer. Add in a wedge heel crafted into every sneaker, and the design adds height to the wearer and a stylish edge.
- The 2007 launch of the Super-Star put Golden Goose's sneaker culture on a new trajectory. This was the prototype that set the tone for the men's sneaker style. It offers a casual yet classic silhouette, mixing contemporary design through colors and patterns.
- The Hi-Star was born from the Super-Star. When creating the Super-Star, Golden Goose began crafting a sneaker with a higher sole. The shoe features its own set of colorways and hand-written lettering around the foxing, all with that extra sole height.
- The Francy design prominently features the brand's star. The shoe combines the essence of Venetian craftsmanship with sneaker culture by bringing this high-top design inspired by 1970s basketball culture into a modern aesthetic.
- The nostalgic feel of the Stardan, which comes in what the brand calls "more clamorous tones" and distinctive treatments, gives the style a distinct aesthetic from the rest of the line.
- The Ball Star brings 1980s basketball culture to life in a goatskin-clad sneaker.
- Basketball isn't the only sport driving design at Golden Goose. The Running line highlights a retro flavor with color combinations from the early days of running.
Golden Goose in Popular Culture
Plenty of celebrities have flocked to the Golden Goose brand. With its worn-in, distressed look, it lets them embrace sneaker culture without the shiny, brand-new aesthetic. Actresses Megan Fox and Hillary Duff have been spotted wearing them, as have supermodel Rosie Hungtington-Whiteley and fashion influencer Olivia Palermo. With famous feet embracing the Golden Goose brand, the brand's exposure continues to rise.
Key Golden Goose Collaborations
Virgil Abloh's Off-White brand found a popular partner in Golden Goose. The 2016 release schedule between the two brands included both a low-cut white Colette version of the Starter silhouette and another in a more distressed design. In keeping with the brand's handmade detailing, Abloh even tried his hand at customizing some of the distressing, ensuring that each pair in the collaboration remained unique.
While Off-White leads the list of collaborations for Golden Goose, the New York Sunshine "Labor of Love" art project that debuted at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018 gave the then-new Stardan sneaker a fresh launch.
Golden Goose Shoes: Collectibility and Value
The original retail prices of the Golden Goose brand typically run from about $400 to $600. With so many variations on colorways and each shoe having its individual defining features, collectors can own a genuine one-of-a-kind pair of sneakers. Fans of Golden Goose will find a terrific assortment of styles, colorways and sizes on eBay. While lucky buyers can score a pair for low three digits, more popular silhouettes can run between $600 and $900.