How a military trainer became a style icon (and why we made our own version)
It’s not every day a military-issued sneaker ends up on fashion runways and in minimalist wardrobes across the world, but that’s exactly what happened with the German Army Trainer, or GAT for short. Originally designed in the 1970s for West German soldiers, the GAT was made for gym drills and daily training. It had a pretty simple job to be durable, comfortable, and easy to produce and over time that no-nonsense design became its biggest strength.
After the Cold War, surplus GATs made their way into second-hand stores. They were cheap, surprisingly stylish, and built well. People started picking them up for everyday wear, especially in Japan and parts of Europe where vintage military gear was already a thing. Then the fashion world caught on. Designers like Maison Margiela reimagined the silhouette and sent it down runways. These days, you’ll find versions of it everywhere, from fast fashion brands to high-end boutiques. But most of them are still pretty close to the original military spec with glued-together soles, synthetic linings, and not built to last much longer than a few seasons. That’s where we decided to do things differently.
We’re always been big fans of the GAT design, it’s versatile, low-key, and works with pretty much anything, much like our GORAL range. But the way most of them are made didn’t sit right with us. So we reworked the whole thing from the ground up. Here’s how ours stands out:
It’s resoleable thanks to our Blake Stitch construction. It’s a traditional shoemaking method which is not common in sneaker making, and the big advantage is that it can be resoled.
It’s handmade in Sheffield, England. Each pair is made in our workshop using a water resistant Italian suede leather and Lactae Hevea natural rubber soles.
Its shape and design is close to the original GAT, but has an updated fit and finish to be comfortable straight out of the box. The suede is incredibly soft and collapsible and the sole can flex in half.
