18 East and Mephisto Team Up to Create the Break Spectrum —"The Natural World's Finest Footwear"

Name: 18 East x Mephisto Break Spectrum
Release Date: April 11
Where to Buy: 18 East

18 East prides itself on creating “handmade gear for the natural world,” and the latest expression of that long-running ethos is a brand-new sneaker silhouette created in collaboration with Mephisto. The New York-based clothing purveyor and the French footwear manufacturer have presented the Break Spectrum, a low-top hybrid that combines the unlined build and recognizable side stitching of the Mephisto Rainbow with the rugged outsole and embellishment of the Mephisto Break. A shoe that’s equally at home on bustling city streets as it is on remote trails, the Break Spectrum is a physical manifestation of 18 East’s “Slow Fidelity” ethos: a shoe that’s meant to tackle adventures but at one’s own leisure instead of breakneck speed.

Two colorways of the Break Spectrum were produced, namely a “Beef & Broc”-style mix of browns and greens and a summer-ready white and grey palette. Made in France of Italian full-grain leather and rough-out suede, each pair features details like SOFT-AIR shock-reducing midsoles, Air Relax memory foam insoles and an outsole with a heavier-than-usual lug pattern for all-terrain grip. Stylistic twists include co-branded midfoot tags and an antique brass D-ring speed lacing system that enables wearers to double up their laces if they so choose.

“I love the idea of a low-top hiking shoe, so we’ve played with different iterations of that at 18 East,” founder Antonio Ciongoli said in a 2023 interview with Hypebeast that served as the silhouette’s soft reveal. “And with the [Break Spectrum], its mix of versatility and refinement makes it feel like a proper shoe as opposed to a sneaker.”

Expect the 18 East x Mephisto Break Spectrum to release Friday, April 11 at 11 AM EST on the 18 East webstore and the brand’s NYC flagship (146 Elizabeth St, 10012).