Early last year we spotted some particularly appealing takes on the DVS Doughboy shape in bold colours with the Huf name attached. Then absolutely nothing emerged, indicating a cancelled project. While there's still loyalists for tech and chunk in a trainer, the return to footwear cleanliness continues to snowball, absorbing new audiences looking for something a little less cumbersome and more agreeable in the price-point area by the day. As a result, it's heartening to see that this collection seems to have expanded into something bigger and better, shifting from the Doughboy, which in all honesty, is scuppered for us by that darned heel, to the suaveness of the flat-soled Rico.


With Keith's retail and brand empire affiliated, we expected something a little more pointy and pedal-orientated, but there's a satisfying width to the Rico's forefoot. When you're given the brief to create something bare bones, as a designer we imagine the canvas confines of how much innovation can be implemented could be stifling, but kudos to whoever made this rubber-soled silhouette. These are the polar opposite of the DVS Huf Runner Tinker tribute, but they carry greater impact. A collection of strong shades as well as more muted ones, the subtle tabs, minimal paneling and slightly bolstered toe area sit perfectly in line with Huf's recent collections that emphasize cut and sew attention-to-detail rather than noisy prints.

The insoles of these samples still carry an appealing 'Doughboy' tag, and we're assuming the recent tribute to Ricky's Boyz n the Hood sibling and his choice of Detroit Tigers headwear from close Huf affiliate Benny Gold is just a coincidence. Otherwise these would be akin to Cube's house shoes or Chucks, instead they hark back to a simpler time. Albeit in glorious technicolor. Very, very nice.