Golden Goose is non-niche fashion. They’re widely known and often disliked, from every corner of the internet to your friend that calls them “dirty converse.” For those who are unfamiliar, Golden Goose sneakers are pre-distressed and made up of quirky materials, most infamously, glitter. The shoes are all entirely handmade in Venice, Italy, where the brand was conceived and is still headquartered in. In recent years, the online discourse has associated the shoes with a very specific customer – southern, wealthy, and definitely involved in Greek life. The general consensus among fashion-obsessives is that Golden Gooses are not cool anymore if they ever were. The problem I have been facing is that I have always loved them.
I bought a pair of Golden Gooses in their heyday, fall of 2018. They were the signature cracked and kind of gross white leather, with a blue lizard embossed star and a black and white checkerboard pony hair heel tab, AND I LOVED THEM. I have never worn a pair of shoes as often. They were the perfect sneakers – comfortable but cool and just the right amount of obnoxious.
Somewhere in the middle of quarantine, I remember seeing Tiktoks condemning the shoes as atrocious, overly expensive, and tasteless. So my scared little self pushed the shoes into the back of my closet. I didn’t wear my favorite shoes for so long. Which was fine, if not a little disappointing, that I couldn’t wear the shoes until the soles fell off, considering how much I had once adored them.
Around a year later, I found myself back in my childhood home, packing to spend the summer in New York, which was already a terrifying task at hand. Somewhere in the interim between quarantine and the end of the following year, I felt like I had gotten to a place where I was less invested in what other people had to think about my personal style – an epiphany that I believe was largely had by young people across the world in response to the pandemic. So as I packed, I reached into the back of my closet and shoved the beaten-up sneakers into my duffel bag. That summer, I wore them almost every single day. They have somehow become even more disgusting and beat up than I could have imagined. The soles have been worn down so much that I had to stop wearing them in the rain because the water would start to seep in. I loved wearing them again, and I wasn’t very concerned with what other people may think about my daily shoe choice.
Here is the thing I’ve realized about most designer shoes – they’re kind of dumb. Remember the Gucci Ace Sneakers? Or how about the Balenciaga Speed Runners? They go in and out of style within months. Golden Gooses had their moment just the same and now have been deemed as uncool. So while I can’t sit here and convince you that a $500 pair of shoes is a viable or smart purchase to make, I can try to convince you that the clothes you decide to wear each and every day is your own choice. Trends change weekly at this point; trying to keep up can become a daunting chore. I have discovered how much more fun fashion is when you stop holding yourself hostage under the concept of what is cool and what isn’t. So wear the glitter-covered sneakers! Or don’t! The choice is what makes this whole thing so enjoyable.
Words by Nicholson Baird.
Graphic by Emily Tobias.