How sneakers became the darlings of luxury fashion brands

Hong Kong menswear designer Six Lee has a particular fondness for Oxford and loafer shoes. For the Antwerp-trained designer, they are part and parcel of an aesthetic which favours tailored and formalised menswear with a boyish twist. And when the CEO of footwear label Aqua Two contacted him in the hopes of creating a sneaker together, a new local product was born.

"I visited the company's factory in Xiamen to learn about the brand. I had never made sneakers before, so when I received their invitation I was quite surprised. What they proposed was totally out of my comfort zone, but I saw the task as a very fun challenge and decided to accept," Lee says.

The collection, which features a combination of details including marble print soles, leather with a holographic sheen, reptilian textures and classic tassels, is a design hybrid that marries Lee's love of tailoring with the practical comfort of trainers. More importantly, Lee's collection highlights one of fashion's biggest trends so far: stylish sports shoes.

It is hard to imagine that trainers were once considered a fashion faux pas, and ignored by the luxury elite.

These shoes, known as sneakers or "kicks" in American culture, were once the preserve of athletes and hip-hop artists, but since the movement has gone global, so too has mainstream adoption of sneakers outside the gym and on the street.