As socially aware swagger connoisseurs I’m sure many of you frequent the real world enough to not only notice that it is the season of frantic consumerism but it’s also the end of the noughty’s. In the world of sneakers, this decade has been one of innovation and regeneration, whether it is the resurgence of retro styling or the fact sneakers are now more widely recognised as being in the same league as designer high heels.

We have seen hype, extortionate resellers, vulgarity and sparks of genius, however thanks to a global recession, we can now clearly see the wheat from the chaff. One such brand to survive and prosper is Cipher, who are a contemporary lifestyle brand dedicated to providing the multicultural creative community with luxurious urban footwear.

Before I set out Ciphers recent update for 2010, it’s appropriate to define the luxurious ethos of Cipher due to the unfortunate dilution of the term by decades worth of prosperous bandwagon jumping. Cipher is what most people including my self consider as a true luxury brand, they hit the mark of what a luxurious brand should be; indulgent and of high quality. However unlike a lot of luxury brands, Cipher go beyond the norm for footwear, by this I mean they are actually designed and produced to be comfortable.

For 2010, Hong Kong based footwear brand Cipher have released online exclusive updates to their three core sneakers, each feature a refined, tweaked and improved silhouette. As mentioned previously, Cipher care about your feet more than just from a visual perspective, for this reason they have included memory foam insoles. Which combined with sumptuous fine leather, the days and nights of getting home after lengthy periods on your feet, simply wanting to kick off your shoes are over.

For those of you with an understanding of cultural perceptions, history and aesthetics, you simply need compare the conceptual thought process behind that of Cipher sneakers to that of the Queen Mary (as apposed to the Normandie). The monochromatic Cipher sneakers ooze confidence, versatility and tasteful indulgence with clean lines, subtle detail and sculptured form.

The Libertine is an ode to the flamboyant one-upmanship of urban-street culture fused with the luxuries of high fashion. Thus is more socially and visually refined than outrageously flamboyant, a battle of identity and accepted perceptions, which is as true now as it was when the sneakers conceptual protagonist (Oscar Wilde) was alive.

The Seditionary is a sneaker inspired by a rebellious spirit, an interpretation of the punk subculture from which gave the modern world the mainstream interpretation of punk and new wave fashion.

The Subterranean is a more refined interpretation of the 1950s evolution of the slip on, which in American culture dominated intellectual ‘prep’ fashion, informal business attire and eventually alternative culture.