The Bite Magazine - Summer 2019 - Issue 25

Cristina Lloyd discovers a new way of design- ing your own sneakers using the styles, mate- rials and colours provided by footwear brand Diverge. bite trainers W hether it is to get the latest model from one of the top sports shop or to replace a pair that has seen better days, we cannot deny that we are spoilt for choice when it comes to sneakers. The range of colours, styles, name brand, and the price are often the deciding factors but what if we had the opportunity to be the sole creator of our own designs? Although there is a wide choice out there, sometimes it is difficult to find sneakers that perfectly match our personal style.This was the focus of a group of friends who decided to start their own brand with the concept of allowing people to choose their own designs. The founders of Diverge believe that consumers should not have to settle for a model and colourway that some brand decided to launch without considering our preferences, therefore downplaying our personality and hiding our uniqueness. Following their frustration at not finding the right style of sneakers they desired, the group of friends started the brand to allow people to co-create quality sneak- ers that fully reflect who they are and where they are in life.You can either start with a white canvas or use one of their inspirations to customise the sneakers to fit our style and personality. Diverge are committed to making sneakers with flair.“Our sneakers are designed with great detail and they are made to order in a three-generation craft work- shop in Portugal using high quality materials.” They also believe we should be able to make our own way in life, feeling confident about who we are. Using a few lines from Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken , where it says, “…Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference” Diverge adds “Even if sometimes the destination is unclear, the journey will always be rewarding and fulfilling.” So how does it all work? Firstly, you would choose the model which is available in a choice of landscape, minimal low and minimal high. The great news is that you don’t have to completely start with a blank canvas as there is also a range of styles you can work with. Diverge aims to inspire the emerging creative (that’s us) with design combinations they would like us to customise and make sneakers that truly reflect ourselves. So if you like one of the styles on offer, you can buy it as it is or you can choose to change the type of material and colour on the upper, heel panel, sole, lining, laces and symbol. With the three styles available, there are currently 22 variations of sneakers including Landscape V2 Leather & Colour Mix Aloe which consists of a mix of uppers in leather, suede, nubuck and floater in hues of Aloe, Lime, Fuchsia and Geranium.This style has the rubber sole in White, polyester lining in Off-White and cord laces in White and Aloe. In the Minimal High, I quite like the V4 White Leather with Lime, particularly because it has an interesting mix of the leather upper inWhite, suede heel panel in Lime, rubber sole in Fluorescent Yellow, leather lining inWhite and cotton laces also inWhite. V6 RedWine Leather with Scarlet in the same Minimal High style is equally inter- esting with the leather upper in Red Wine, suede heel panel in Scarlet, rubber sole inWhite, leather lining in Tan and cotton laces in Scarlet. It may be in virtually one colour but the Minimal LowV3 Deep Blue Floater stands out with the floater upper in Deep Blue, suede heel panel in Oxford Blue, rubber sole inWhite, leather lining in Black and cotton laces in Navy. I also like the V7 Artic Blue Suede with DIVERGE MAKE IT YOUR OWN WAY Images courtesy of Profile Public Relations