VEJA and Magliano unveil a new Panenka sneaker The Panenka model is inspired by a vintage football boot with a provincial twist
VEJA joins forces with the Italian brand Magliano for a new reinterpretation of the Panenka. Inspired by vintage football boots, the unisex sneaker becomes a perfect fusion of bold tailoring and sporty spirit. The model will be available from March 9 on VEJA’s official e-shop.
Founded in 2005, VEJA has established itself as one of the most solid players in the contemporary sneaker landscape, building its identity on a vintage yet elegant aesthetic and a responsible approach to production. With this collaboration, the French brand opens up its iconic silhouette to a new narrative, entrusting it to the unconventional and poetic gaze of Magliano, the brand founded in Bologna in 2017 by Luca Magliano, which has emerged as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary menswear, earning international recognition through the LVMH Prize.
For this collaboration, VEJA gives prominence to the Magliano logo, bringing it to the forefront as a gesture of identity recognition. The brand’s imagery revolves around the concept of the “province”: not merely a geographical place, but an emotional system shaped by peripheral landscapes, vernacular languages and a realism suspended between melancholy and disenchantment. Within this tension, the brand constructs its identity, subverting the classic codes of the menswear wardrobe.
By insisting on and revisiting football aesthetics, the Panenka now features a tongue folded over the upper, a clear reference to classic football boots. Crafted from a single perforated piece, this flap allows for asymmetric lacing that enhances the idea of deconstruction. Three different pairs of laces, included in the box, enable a graphic play of chromatic contrasts — a detail perfectly aligned with Magliano's visual language. Function and eccentricity coexist in a balance that merges sport and couture. The sneaker is offered in three colorways: black with cream accents, white, and a bolder pearlescent pink.
Reworking an iconic model such as the Panenka means intervening on an already sedimented memory. It is not about erasing, but about layering: the sneaker retains its sporting DNA, while absorbing a new narrative tension that reflects the multifaceted nature of contemporaneity. VEJA and Magliano enact an operation that transforms an object into a symbol representing sport, provincial character, and couture.
