Nothing is safe from the mule treatment

Although the mule has well and truly cemented itself in the footwear zeitgeist, brands have recently begun to get increasingly bold with how they give a shoe the mule treatment, I humbly ask, what’s next?

Although the mule has well and truly cemented itself in the footwear zeitgeist, brands have recently begun to get increasingly bold with how they give a shoe the mule treatment, I humbly ask, what’s next?

“Fashion is a fantasy, it's a child’s game” or so wrote Austrian-American fashion designer Rudi Gernreich. I would assume that by fantasy, Gernreich was referring to the fact that no matter how dark your fantasy, it can become a shoe. The shapeless nebula that is Fashion absorbs everything in its path, often regurgitating Frankenstein-like amalgams of shoes, clothes, and accessories which people like you and I consume with delight. The mule has been one such beautiful atrocity.

With its slip on shape, deliberate heel exposure, and all-round penchant for comfort, mules have cemented their place in countless footwear rotations. Now look, I’m not saying that heel-less footwear is anything new. Crocs and Birkenstock Bostons have dominated the footwear landscape over the past two years, and I'd be a fool to call it a new trend. But right now, brands are getting more ambitious—no—creative with how they give their precious footwear collections the mule treatment.

MM6 Maison Margiela is no strangers to the art of the innovative sneaker. Tinkering with already-established footwear silhouettes is something of a forte for the brand—and would you believe it, the mule is now on the table too. Really, it was only a matter of time. It’s funny, and almost proves the insanity of the mule treatment. The Salomon XT-4, which is the model of choice for MM6’s treatment, already boasts Salomon’s Quicklace technology, where you slide into the shoe and pull the toggle to lace them—seems easy enough? The only thing you could possibly do to make it easier, would be to shear the heel right off—and so the XT-4 mule was born. 

Image credit: MM6

Did anyone ask for an XT-4 mule? Likely not, Salomon already has a widely successful RX Slide model. But you know what; I believe that’s what makes getting the mule treatment so special. It might not be needed, but when you see it, you often wonder how you didn’t realise you did need it. Why use the model that was designed for the mule, when you can prove everything can become a mule. Soon available in all the kooky colours that have come to define the MM6 and Salomon partnership—remember the bright red ones Rihanna wore? Pure colour, of course, is not enough to enter the wild world of mules, no, you need to shear the back clean off too. 

Fellow French Alpes-based shoemaker Paraboot in the past had its more ultra-luxe collaboration iteration of the mule;  with American mountaineer brand, The North Face. Unlike some on the Internet, I was instantly a fan. It was beautiful, the famed Norwegian Goodyear sole of Paraboot playing base to the familiar puffs of the Thermoball Traction V mule from the North Face. It shouldn’t be real. Instead of the North Face’s standard poly shell, the matelassé boasted full-grain leather detailing. Simply put, it’s the ultimate winter shoe.

God would you look at that full grain leather, the tasteful thickness of it. Image credit: Paraboot

Alas my dreams were almost instantly quashed by the news it will not be seeing a public release. Should anyone from Paraboot, or The North Face be reading this, you know where to send a trial pair. Aside from then scrapping the myriad of fits I had planned out for when I owned a pair, my head was also full of different ideas. Just how far would a brand, or two brands, be willing to go for their mule? I need only to ask, is no shoe sacred?

Image credit: Instagram, @griff

We’ve passed the loungewear-obsessed period of 2020. Two years on, everyone’s favourite backless loafers are now a canvas for experimentation, and I am well and truly into it. There’s no doubt the sway that the mule brings to any collection. Our Legacy, their Camion boot loved by GQ editors across the globe, lopped the heel off their famous boots. The resulting Camion mules ensure that you’re covered for footwear from Summer to Winter.

When Vito Corleone uttered the famous phrase “Look how they massacred my boy”, he was referring to Camions. Image credits: End Clothing

The question remains though, as the Camion boot was perfect as it was, who said it needed to be mule-ified? That unfortunately was you and I. Mule versions of shoes are, to some, almost a punishment for loving things.

Like all good things, mule-based collabs are often first met with hilarious criticism. After the laughs, the memes, mules invariably make their way into acceptance and then adoration. It's the final stamp of approval for a silhouette that has made it at this point.

Take the New Balance 2002R for example, months ago so brazenly “disfigured” according to some critics, by the removal of its heel and laces. Why did you need to give it the Achilles treatment? But now, look at it go. With another collaboration launched with Sneakersnstuff, it has cemented itself a banger. A success story to mirror even the unlikeliest of Greek heroes.

Image credit: Sneakersnstuff

There’s no avoiding the inevitability of mules. Your favourite shoe will be mule-d. It’s actually somewhat surprising that the patron saints of vibes, JJJJound, hasn’t yet tried its hand at the effortless luxury of a mule. So then, what next? Will the darling of fashion and sportswear collaborations, Grace Wales Bonner, slash the back off her iconic Adidas Sambas? Or Asics, in the height of the renaissance of their beloved Gel-Kayano 14, will they expose ankles and in turn, the shoe’s practicality? The challenge is set. All comers are welcome.

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Originally published as Nothing is safe from the mule treatment