Prada’s America’s Cup turns to teak and cacao, and a 1997 classic steps into autumn

STYLE · SNEAKERS

Some objects survive by changing. Others survive by refusing to. Prada’s America’s Cup belongs to the second kind. Drawn in 1997 for the crew of Luna Rossa, it approaches its thirtieth year with the same long, aerodynamic line it was born with. This season it trades the blue of open water for the browns of the shorter days.

The two new versions, released on 13 October, are called Teak/Blue and Cacao/Bordeaux. The first pairs the warmth of deck timber with cool blue details, a quiet nod to where the shoe began. The second goes deeper: dark chocolate with wine-red accents, a palette that asks for wool, suede and early evenings.

From an Auckland deck to the city

The name is not decoration. In 1997 Patrizio Bertelli, then at the head of Prada, set out to build an Italian challenge for the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy still contested in international sport. Luna Rossa made its debut in Auckland at the 2000 edition, won the challenger series and met New Zealand in the final. The shoe was made for that crew: light, technical, built for people who spent their days soaked and working against the wind.

What happened next was never planned. The sailing shoe stepped off the boat, found its way onto city pavements by the end of the decade and became one of the few designer sneakers to cross three decades without needing to be reinvented. The red stripe of Linea Rossa, the house’s sport line, still sits on the heel, a password for those who know the story.

What changes is what you cannot see

Prada has left the proportions alone. The upper keeps its layered play of patent leather and technical mesh, and the colour blocking follows the curve of each panel, lengthening the line rather than redrawing it. Deeper tones at the toe and heel lend the pair the depth of a patina, as if it had already lived through a few seasons.

The real change is underfoot. The rubber sole has been rebuilt in an ultra-light construction meant for everyday wear rather than a wet deck. It is the kind of update you only notice after a full day on your feet, which is perhaps why it is the most honest one.

Nearly thirty years ago, the America’s Cup was drawn for men fighting for inches against the wind on the Hauraki Gulf. Today it goes to museums, to dinners, to departure lounges. Prada has understood that the best way to keep a classic alive is to leave it alone, and change only the light that falls on it.

Details: Prada America’s Cup in Teak/Blue and Cacao/Bordeaux, available since 13 October from Prada boutiques and prada.com. Price not announced at launch.

GABRIEL SILVEIRADO, FOR WAYFARER.