Jacob Yaku Stapleton might not be a name you’d recognize as of now, but he’ll soon be on the fashion radar. His style is hard to describe in words, but it’s certainly avant-garde. Centering his eponymous label YAKU around themes of fantasy, Afrofuturism and natural form, YAKU’s creations are often expressive and imbued with pop culture experiments.

Not only was he a LVMH Scholar, YAKU’s graduation collection was also the recipient of the L’Oreal Pro Creative Award 2023, bestowed by the art and image director at Off-White, Ibrahim Kamara. It won’t be long before YAKU makes it to the big leagues, but for now, he’s creating 1-of-1s that are for sale on the APOC Store—a playground for likeminded emerging designers such as himself.

Not too long ago, the Leeds-based designer debuted his “Creature Shoes” on his Instagram. Dressed in a full suit of green, YAKU explained the thought process and construction of the shoe.

Working off an unnamed secondhand trainer, the young designer created a new layer throughout the shoe, combining sustainable materials such as scrap pattern paper and cotton jersey scraps while doing so. The entire sneaker is then double-dyed in a neon green bath, producing a somewhat contorted upper that gives off a puffer jacket vibe—exactly what YAKU likes to play around on his apparels too.

Aptly named the “Creature Shoes” after its design, the sneakers actually made its first debut on the aforementioned Central Saint Martins MA Fashion press show where he showcased his graduation collection, “The Impossible Family Reunion in RPG Space”. He brought characters from RuneScape to life, and these were complimenting an all-green outfit that perhaps resembled a goblin.

While it might not be immediately clear, YAKU perhaps drops a hint or two about the origins of his “Creature Shoes”. We probably won’t ever find out what exactly they are, but the appearance of a Swoosh and and “AIR” text on the side of the shoe points towards them being a Nike silhouette.

It’s definitely a statement piece for all the fashionistas out there, one that cries “wearable art” in its most literal sense. While it’s not on the aforementioned APOC Store at the moment, you can still head towards the website to check out YAKU’s other 1-of-1 works.

In more regular-programming, check out the brand-new Bodega x Vault by Vans collaboration.

Source: Hypebeast