The JJJJound Diemme Movida is the collaboration that autumn’s approach-shoe moment has been building towards. Montreal design studio JJJJound has teamed up with Italian footwear maker Diemme for a trail sneaker that lands on 10 September, arriving just as the temperature starts to properly drop.
The approach shoe has quietly become one of the most energetic currents moving through menswear right now, alongside slimline sneakers and heritage runners. Low-slung, Vibram-soled, and built with genuine technical credentials, it sits in a useful middle ground: rugged enough to handle uneven ground, restrained enough to wear off it. The JJJJound Diemme Movida is a precise read of that moment.
Alpine Credentials, Minimalist Execution
Diemme makes its footwear in Onè di Fonte, Italy, a region with a long-standing reputation for mountaineering footwear. An approach shoe is well within the marque’s capabilities. What JJJJound brings to the equation is its familiar, low-intervention design language: the Movida arrives in deep chocolate suede, a grippy Vibram outsole, and a barely-there JJJJound logo on the heel.
The construction details are considered throughout. According to Hypebeast, black-coated metal eyelets secure black polyester laces, with a single red secondary lace threaded in for a restrained hit of contrast. That secondary lace echoes the apple-red spare set included with each pair, the one concession to colour in an otherwise thoroughly subdued palette. It is the kind of detail that rewards a closer look without announcing itself from across the room.
The Vibram sole is the shoe’s most functional credential. Vibram rubber is standard kit on trail footwear built for actual use, offering the grip and durability that a fashion-only outsole would not. On the Movida, it grounds the chocolate suede upper with something that earns its place beyond aesthetics.
Built for the Trail, Wearable on the Walk to the Pub
Approach shoes were originally developed for climbers who needed something more packable than a mountain boot but more capable than a standard trainer on technical terrain. The category has since found a wider audience, partly because the silhouette translates well to everyday use and partly because the construction quality tends to be higher than a standard fashion sneaker.
The JJJJound Diemme Movida sits in that expanded version of the category. The chocolate suede reads naturally alongside chunky corduroys, relaxed trousers, and lived-in denim, the kind of autumnal layering that makes the most of the season before the proper cold sets in. It is utilitarian enough to feel purposeful without requiring you to explain yourself at the bothy.
Justin Saunders and JJJJound have consistently operated this way: locate a style already circulating among art directors and stylists, apply the minimum adjustment necessary to make it feel distinct, and release it with enough restraint that the object itself does the talking. The Movida is that process applied to a shoe category with real technical roots. Because Diemme’s manufacturing heritage is alpine rather than purely streetwear, the collaboration carries more weight than a straightforward aesthetic exercise.
The result is a shoe that does not oversell itself. No aggressive branding, no maximalist colourway, no attempt to make the approach-shoe credentials louder than they need to be. The chocolate suede, the Vibram sole, the black-coated metal eyelets and that single red lace are doing exactly enough.
The JJJJound Diemme Movida drops on 10 September. If previous JJJJound collaborations are any guide, it will not hang around long once it does.
