The people who work at Fila know what you call its massively popular sneaker, the Disruptor 2—the gargantuan, verging-on-platform shoe that gobbles up feet, has a sole with chainsaw-like teeth, and loudly announces its presence to passerby. Shoes like Fila’s Disruptor 2, the Balenciaga Triple S, and New Balance 990v4—they’re ugly. “We certainly wouldn't put that on a shoebox,” says Mark Eggert, Fila’s SVP of footwear design and advanced concepts. “There is no doubt internally that other phrase has come up. But we'd prefer to stick with the ‘chunky trainer’ idea.” Ugly, chunky, whatever you call them—the trend has distorted all of our sneakers over the past year. And now, it’s opened up a lane for Fila and its Disruptor 2 to crash the party.
