The Achilles is famed for its minimal design and lack of branding

It launched in 2004 and retailed for $265 (£200) – a number that while seemingly steep, was actually a loss when materials and other costs were taken into account.

Irrespective of the price, which later had to be ramped up further still, the Achilles Low quickly became the iPhone of the sneaker world. These minimalist marvels soon lined both the front row at fashion weeks around the world and the shelves of all the most respected retailers, thus cementing their place as one of menswear’s most coveted items.

What Makes The Achilles Low Great

What Common Projects achieved with the Achilles Low was to effectively reinvent the wheel. Poopat and Girolami took the simplest of things and made it exciting and desirable through their unconventional approach to design and manufacture.

The Achilles’ allure lies in its sleek silhouette, luxurious artisan construction and, of course, its masterful restraint. The attention to detail is typified by the shoe’s iconic gold branding to the heel – ten shimmering numbers denoting the size, style and colour of each shoe that have become every bit as emblematic as Nike’s swoosh or Adidas’ three stripes.

The gold lettering on each pair denotes the size, style and colour of the shoe

At its core, this is a sneaker with the DNA of a dress shoe. Each pair is handmade at a small factory in Italy’s Marche region, which until Common Projects came along had never dealt in anything other than formal footwear like Oxfords or Derbies.

The label’s marketing strategy, or lack thereof, only added to the appeal. Common Projects has never advertised. Nor has it hosted a party, pop-up space or press day. The label lets the shoes, and the shoes alone, do the talking. The product was so good that the hype simply created itself.