“I wanted to have a reason to interact with all the crazy, creative people around me,” said 28-year-old Max Schiller when asked why he and Jonathan Hirschfeld launched their latest project—Eytys. Part sleek, minimal sneaker (the brand is Stockholm-based, after all), part virtual artistic platform, the Eytys umbrella is inspired by Generation Y (hence the spelling) and being born in—can you guess?—the eighties. “For me, Generation Y is a generation of kids who have been brought up with MTV, the Internet, and extremely easy access to information. This has created all these people with multidisciplinary creativity,” explained Schiller. “Now, it’s OK to be interested in a little bit of everything,” he added.
Influenced in part by nineties skate and street culture, Eytys’ kicks—which took a year to perfect—only come in one unisex style. “I think it’s much more interesting to focus on individuality than gender,” said Schiller. The designers, who met in their early teens, released a canvas version of the shoes for the soft launch last week and will be debuting suede and leather varieties for the full launch this summer.
As for the online platform, Schiller will launch an expanded version in a few months, alongside the sneaker push. “It will partly be a Web shop, of course, but we’re also going to highlight people we admire. It will be like an online gallery,” he said, suggesting that some of their picks could be invited to “express themselves on the shoe.” Combining fashion, art, and a considered digital destination, Eytys really does know how to appeal to Gen Y-ers—just give us a little bit of everything.
Eytys shoes are available at Colette, Opening Ceremony, and other select retailers.
—Katharine K. Zarrella
Photos: Courtesy of Eytys
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