Osiris homage or trypophobia trigger?
Taking a farther look at the Barebarics Fusion
Barebarics announced a new model called "Fusion" in an IG post on February 14th. They're the last of three 90s-inspired sneakers that the brand released this spring. The first, Arise, was a retro basketball sneaker. This one is a skate shoe through and through with its chunky silhouette, suede toe cap, and gum bottom sole.
But the most noticeable element of the Fusion is the breathable design,
or the oval cutouts all over the shoe's quarter. A mesh material is exposed by these holes in the leather. I'm not gonna lie, the first look at them triggered my trypophobia. The hole motif reminds me of the Osiris D3, which even skateboarders think are scary, so I don't feel like too much of a hater for being so turned off by them.
The Fusion's drop on March 7th came with some very necessary on-feet pics, which showed that the holes aren't as freaky as I thought they were at first. Because the holes are ovals, they convey a bit of motion to me, like flames on Old Skools.
The new shots also show that Barebarics continues to nail chunky silhouettes, which seems challenging for shoes that are minimal by design. Since I don't have a pair, I'm not sure how they fit, but they appear to have a lot of volume. If that's the case, the 90s skate shoe look functions as additional comfort for people with high-volume feet. The hockey skate laces, not visible in the earliest looks of the Fusion, are a nice touch and add even more chunk.
I was anti-hole at first, but I've come around. I respect Barebarics for trying something different and for being one of the few barefoot shoe brands that gets the chunky look right. You can find the Fusion at barebarics.com.