Reinventing the Wheel of Footwear with PLAYGROUND

Written by Ali George Hinkins

As This Thing of Ours is the first stockist to welcome PLAYGROUND into the UK, releasing the brand's story alongside the product made sense, opening the proverbial floodgates for literature on its unique footwear. 

Footwear, an essential piece of equipment that accompanies us daily, is bound by one simple principle: to protect the foot. It often informs our entire outfit, forming a base on which to build. Like all design mediums, brands use footwear to communicate their respective messages and design language. PG, an in-house footwear line by PLAYGROUND, a new-age sneaker boutique, channels this energy into its designs by drawing on its wealth of expertise in shoe construction, which has been harnessed through decades of industry experience and studying footwear. 

PLAYGROUND’s business model is divided into three categories: reuse, upcycling, and development. ‘Reuse’ offers sneakers selected for their design, originality, and functionality rather than aimlessly collecting vintage or recently rare styles. As its name suggests, ‘upcycling’ involves lightly customising existing styles by adding FREELOCK/FIDLOCK technology to create unique 1-of-1 pieces found only at PLAYGROUND. Lastly, and what brings us here, development revolves around its in-house line of original footwear, known as ‘PG’, which pays homage to traditional designs while adding their twist through enhanced functionalities. Not to detract from the other two, but the development of PG is our focus. 

In this instance, by being surrounded by shoes in the store daily, PLAYGROUND began studying their intricacies and what was needed to create a well-built shoe. Additionally, when you speak to customers, you understand what your clientele is looking for. Naturally, if they can’t find it in your offering, they’ll go elsewhere; so, PLAYGROUND began to conceptualise and create precisely what its customers were after. From that, PG was born, and it has continued to supply its footwear to discerning customers ever since. 

This understanding led PLAYGROUND to create a range of hybrid footwear that combines archetypal silhouettes with technical hardware like FREELOCK and FIDLOCK openings and Vibram’s associated technologies. Styles like the Garden Moc, Knock 2, and Oliver are the perfect case studies in heritage design coexisting with functionality - what may look like a piece of ordinary footwear is far from it. These understated technical features enhance the wearer’s experience, providing easier access to the shoe and greater traction when the ground is wet. It isn’t outdoor footwear by any means; it merely borrows some of the hardware we associate with it, like Vibram or FIDLOCK, to help you around town. Circling back, this stems from PLAYGROUND spotting an opportunity to plug a gap in the market whereby hybrid designs are favoured over narrow-minded ones. 

What started in a relatively small space in Tokyo will now be available from This Thing of Ours. Just remember that when PLAYGROUND fully broke into the UK market in years to come, This Thing of Ours brought them over. 

Available to purchase in-store and online from This Thing of Ours. 

Address: 9a Chapel Walks, Manchester M2 1AE