Ora-Ïto's Wooden Nike Trainers

Ordinarily, there are two immediate thought-waves when confronted with wooden footwear. The first being ‘That doesn’t look comfortable’; the second being ‘Why am I holding a pair of clogs?’

Indeed, over the last two centuries, wooden footwear has never really been embraced outside of farms in the Netherlands, and for good reason - imagine running in a pair - although this newly designed pair of trainers from French designer Ora Ïto could soon buck the trend.

This ligneous pair, sculpted from moulded plywood and thankfully more comfortable materials, pay homage, believe it or not, to the Eames Lounge 670 armchair. And don't pretend the shoes you're currently wearing are based on a piece of luxury furniture, we can tell you're impressed.

Taking inspiration from the moulded plywood shell of that 1956 classic, the wooden sections of Ïto’s trainers wrap around the shoe, the colours echoing the chairs original rosewood veneer and leather of the vintage chair, and a black Goretex clipper and thin rubber sole providing some much needed comfort.

Ora-Ïto, no stranger to the bizarre, has previously produced a spaceship and sedan chair concepts for Citroën, and hopes this latest oddity will provoke Nike into producing the shoe for a limited release. Which, for our money, would be a wise move.

Looks like the Dutch were onto something.