Supra Skytop III

Supra’s flagship model enters its third iteration with the following silhouette slated for a mid-summer release. Featuring a more mature and grown-up approach relative to its predecessors but also incorporating a distinct technical vibe thanks largely to a rubber cage around the midfoot. Several classic colorways are slated for an initial drop including red, white, black and blue. Several questions from an interview with Chad Muska courtesy of Sneaker Freaker are seen below.

Speaking of which, I’ve got the Skytop III right here. That’s what’s next! How would you describe it to anyone who hasn’t seen it? Where would you start?
History tends to repeat itself and it seems like everybody has been looking for ‘80s gear and old school high tops, so I thought the natural progression was the whole ‘90s, technical era. I worked closely with Josh Brubaker who is an amazing shoe designer and really understands the visions that I have. There’s inspiration from different shoes in there of course, all added with our own twist. If you look at the lines closely you’ll notice it really pays attention to the details found on the original Skytop. With the Skytop II we went a little bit higher than the first version and then on this one, we obviously came down to more of a mid-cut to throw everyone off.
I don’t know what anyone thought we were going to do, but they probably assumed we were just going to go even higher I suppose. It’s hard for me to explain the shoe in a couple of words, but it’s definitely part tech-runner and part basketball shoe, mixed in with the lines of the original Skytops…

That’s a fair description. The rubber cage is the most striking feature. 
Actually we had the shoe design without it and we were looking at it like, ‘Yes, it’s cool, we like it, but it needs something else!’ We weren’t sure exactly what it was but then Josh had one design mocked up that had the cage. When I saw it I was like, ‘Oh, shit, that’s it, that’s really what’s going to set this apart!’

It’s interesting that you reference the ‘90s, because it was a time when brands had the balls to say, ‘Here’s where we think the future is, if you don’t like it, don’t wear it.’ Now brands seem to be petrified of what kids are going to think. 
Absolutely. If it was up to me I would have made the Skytop III even crazier! I’m envisioning shoes in my head that I don’t see anywhere else right now. When I started at Circa back in the late ‘90s, the tech era was dying down at that point but I still had a lot of ideas I was trying to bring to the table. Right now, the market is going to open back up for way more technical shoes. Personally, I’m all about learning more about production, finding out what techniques can be used, from moulding pieces to seamless stitching to sonic welding – all these different applications that are possible.