The minimalist sneaker market has become anything but minimal in the past couple of years. With brands like Common Projects and Maison Martin Margiela giving the pot the initial stir, many more brands followed in the wake. Most recently, Rancourt joined the sneaker smorgasbord, aiming to produce a high-quality, American-made version of their own at a more affordable price – the Classic Court Low and Classic Court Mid.
Rancourt’s version takes inspiration from the classic tennis court sneakers of years past but upgrades it in every respect. The uppers are made of a full-grain ‘Weston’ cowhide tanned in Maine and lined with a supple Casco horse hide tanned by Horween. They’re built on Vibram‘s first ever sneaker sole which is made in Italy while the footbed is a molded latex/leather made in Germany to Rancourt’s specs. The shape is sleek, though not as aggressive as a pair of CP’s, but also not as rounded as a pair of Stan Smiths – a nice in-betweener.
The sneakers come in a low-top and mid-top version in a variety of colors and are on pre-order right now for $200 and $215 respectively. At those prices, you can buy 2 pairs for the same price as one pair of Common Projects or Feit sneakers and still have a few bucks leftover.
You can pre-order them at the Rancourt website.
