Fast fashion and the ultimate dad shoe - the Nike Monarch

I’m afraid we have all been captured by some sort of fast fashion as we have become more avid social media users. I know I have. For those who do not know what fast fashion is – it is a form of fashion that takes on the fashion trends from the runway and puts them straight into the stores. A fashion house that is known for fast fashion would be ZARA. Don’t get me wrong though. These are super important outlets for when you see something that is trendy and you need to have it as soon as possible. In this case ZARA would be your ‘go to’ store. It ends up serving its purpose because who wouldn’t want access to a store that provides trendy clothing, at an affordable price, which is also really good quality. This leadsme to touch on one of the sleeper hits of fast fashion-the Nike Monarch.

Before we get into it – yes, I do own a pair of Monarchs and yes, I can explain this disastrouschoice that I have utterly enjoyed, if that makes sense. But I do have to say that the Balenciaga Triple S had a major role to play in my choice of the NikeMonarch. I looked at it like this- how could I be trendy and afford my own “dad shoe”?  The Nike Monarch provided the perfect answer. If you don’t

know why we call it a ‘dad shoe’, just think of it like this- “it’s a shoe that a fifty-year-old man, who has made it in life, would wear” and there you have it,“the dad shoe”. I don’t think Nike introduced this shoe to boost its sales during the fast fashion epidemic that has been happening over the past two years. No, this is a shoe that has been in Nike’s line up for over 20 years and it is a sneaker that has been doing very well.

Let us tap into the brief history of the Nike Monarchfor a moment. This sneaker was introduced in the 90s. It was introduced because Nike had competition from other brands to introduce a sneaker to the “dad that did not seek excitement”- a father who would braai the meat at the family braai. So basically it wasn’t the most lucrative department of the Nikebrand, but they did know that it would become a staple in the trainer department if it did catch on. This trainer became the all-day, everyday trainer that every father needed. This was until many fashion lovers of the ‘dad shoe’ trend caught the hype and it got a more youthful resurgence. This was indeed super cool to see as it reinforces the beauty in fashion and sneaker culture. We can get to a point where the sneaker or item of clothing may not be for everyone, but a person could rock that sneaker or item of clothing and the next person could want it based off of how they saw the person wearing it. And that’s what happened

to me with the Nike Monarch!

So do I regret purchasing it? Hell no! I really enjoyed what that sneaker did for many of my fashion choices and if someone had to ask me if I’d wear it in 2020 I would definitely say yes. Fast fashion is a norm in the fashion would and a necessity at the same time. It allows for fashion trends to keep ticking and it keeps designers, as well as consumers, on their toes.

- Joshua Dunn