The Couture Club Steps Into Footwear with the Axis Sneaker

The Couture Club is making its first move into footwear, and it’s a strong one. The Axis Sneaker—its debut silhouette—lands as a considered evolution of the classic skate shoe: familiar in shape, but elevated in execution. For a brand rooted in premium streetwear, this feels like a natural next step, and the result is a sneaker built to anchor an outfit rather than overwhelm it.

The starting point is skate culture’s golden era, with its clean lines, sturdy builds and unforced cool. The Axis borrows that language but reworks it through The Couture Club’s lens: sharper edges, refined panel cuts, and a balance of premium leather and textured suede that sits closer to luxury footwear than the skateparks that inspired it. Structured panelling adds a sense of purpose, while the overall silhouette stays pared-back, giving it that everyday-wearability designers always chase but rarely nail.

Handcrafted in Portugal, the sneaker went through multiple rounds of testing and refinement—something co-founder and creative director Ross Worswick credits as central to the design process. The aim was to create something that feels instantly wearable but distinctly theirs, a shoe that slots straight into a wardrobe built on contemporary tailoring, minimal outerwear or relaxed street staples. The silhouette does the heavy lifting quietly, which is exactly the point.

To mark the launch, The Couture Club is going big at home. For one weekend only, Manchester Social becomes the CC-Social, a dedicated space offering early access to the Axis, previews of upcoming drops, one-of-one pieces, and a collaboration with MCR Social. The headline attraction for collectors will be a limited-edition run customised by renowned sneaker creator Jordan Watkins—available exclusively at the pop-up.

The wider release follows quickly: online from 16 November, then landing at Selfridges and Flannels from mid-December, positioning the Axis firmly within the premium sneaker landscape rather than the casual-first category its skate roots might imply.

For The Couture Club, the Axis marks a shift. It’s not just a sneaker; it’s a signal of where the brand is heading—towards a more complete, design-driven offering built with longevity and craftsmanship front of mind. And if the first step into footwear looks this polished, it’s a strong indicator of what’s coming next.