Alberto Guardiani does a fresh take on the sock sneaker fashion trend exploding around the world right now. His design aesthetic is inspired by the socks and sandals look typically worn by basketball players.

Stop and watch a game at any neighborhood basketball court in New York, after the game players remove their sneakers and switch to sandals before going home.

It’s basically a lifestyle hack, after a long game players feet are hot and swollen so switching from closed shoes to comfy flip flops is a functional practice and it’s been happening for decades.

The trend hit the pop culture radar when NBA and WNBA players were photographed during interviews wearing socks and sandals after practice and after games.

Obviously the functional style didn’t remain in sport culture, costume designers began referencing the look in films (have you seen Love and Basketball starring Sanaa Latham?) and ultimately it emerged as a fashion trend.

It was only a matter of time before some clever designer pieced these two together into one chic snocker.

The full Alberto Guardiani Fall 2018 Men’s Collection: