Quick Facts
- Montreal fashion label Estudio Niksen is launching its first footwear collab ever
- The brand's Saucony Trainer 80 is inspired by a laidback rural lifestyle
- A global release takes place April 30, 2026 for $120
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Saucony is on one helluva run. The heritage running brand smashed into the sneakerhead sphere near the start of the decade, and over the last four to five years, its presence has only grown. Unfortunately, one of their most celebrated collaborators from this historic run, Jae Tips, has signed a deal with Nike, but their choice of partnerships is one of the best in the industry and they will be alright. Expanding into The Great White North, Saucony is launching its debut partnership with fashion label Estudio Niksen on the Trainer 80 silhouette.
Sole Retriever was able to sit down with Saucony’s own Jason Faustino and Estudio Niksen founders Andrés Barrios and Gabrielle Gagné to discuss the silhouette and collaboration as a whole, but let's just touch on the sneaker here.
Estudio Niksen’s take on the Saucony Trainer 80, a silhouette originally released in 1978 as a long-distance runner, slows things down considerably. No longer is the purpose of the shoe a performance runner, both in the modern-day landscape of footwear and in this collaboration, but instead a shoe that goes alongside a laid-back rural lifestyle.
Andrés told Sole Retriever that the colorway and material choices were taken directly from Estudio Niksen’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, inspired by Barrios and his partner Gabrielle daydreaming about their life outside of the city.
“It’s like a potpourri. It’s a mix of fabrics, checkered stripes, textures. It’s rich,” said Andrés. ”The point was imagining waking up, grabbing the first pair of pants you have, a quick sweater, and it looks really good, like a controlled chaos of fabrics and patterns together.”
This potpourri style is clear with the upper using a mixture of materials and earthtones, such as hairy suede panels on the toebox and heel, ripstop fabric on the base, checkerboard on the tongue, and the two sets of laces featuring different finishes. Estudio Niksen logos are found on the tongue tag, heel, and insole, the latter of which features doodles done by Gabrielle.
The Estudio Niksen x Saucony Trainer 80 will be released on April 30, 2026, via Saucony and select retailers for $120. Expect a release via Estudio Niksen to come prior to the global launch. Check below for images of the shoe, and while you wait for our full conversation with Estudio Niksen founders Andrés Barrios and Gabrielle Gagné and Saucony’s Jason Faustino, download the Sole Retriever mobile app.
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy watching films and discovering music. Follow me on Letterboxd @nickvlah For tips, reviews, or any shoes in a size 13, email nick@soleretriever.com
