While sneakers have long been a staple for everyday wear and easy walking shoes while traveling, Golden Goose is one sneaker brand that is more like fine contemporary art. The footwear is the equivalent of an abstract painting by an emerging artist, hanging in a white-walled gallery downtown.
Originally from the otherworldly waterways of Venice, the Italian luxury fashion brand has gone global among the fashion-forward community through shoes known for being perfectly imperfect.
If anything, Golden Goose is a breath of fresh air, a fashion statement that shows its wearers understand that shoes naturally show signs of wear and tear.
Each shoe comes pre-distressed, with each scuff and mark deliberately placed by artisans in Italy. The Golden Goose tagline reads, “These shoes have already lived,” hinting at the footwear’s unique story. With this in line, each pair skips ahead to the comfortable, broken-in phase sans the blisters that pristine new pairs usually bring.
The irony isn’t lost on anyone, either. But paying premium prices for shoes that look worn is exactly what makes Golden Goose a conversation piece— much like a work of art. And in that same way, what makes the brand truly cool is that each pair makes you look, with a style that’s instantly recognizable from across a room.
The newest “Fioreria Golden” store
This instantly recognizable style has now found a home in Manila.
Following its Philippine debut earlier this year, Golden Goose officially unveiled “Fioreria Golden,” which translates to a golden flower shop, at Greenbelt on April 24, 2025.
The pop-up is more unique than most, with a setup like a sun-drenched greenhouse set in Italy but inside Greenbelt. The Golden Goose store features floor-to-ceiling glass framed in green metal. The circular dome is surrounded by baskets of pink, blue, and purple hydrangeas. For the many who wait in line to enter the store, they can rest by the garden swing.
Inside, it dazzles. The immediately recognizable Golden Goose shoes sit on top of antique wood while more shoes, handbags, and super-stylish Golden Goose ready-to-wear apparel hang amid supermirror steel surfaces.
At the heart of the store is the co-creation table, where guests transform their shoes into one-of-a-kind pieces with crystals, fabrics, vintage-inspired touches, and handwritten notes. So if there’s something that makes Golden Goose extra special it’s this customizable element that can mold a pair to any personality.
What the stars say about Golden Goose
When asked what they look for in a sneaker, the country’s biggest personalities who attended the official opening gave thoughtful answers on what makes the perfect personalized Golden Goose sneakers.
Maine Mendoza kept it straightforward: “I’m always looking for a comfortable pair of sneakers,” she said, while her husband Arjo Atayde agreed. “Same. Since we love traveling, it’s always going to be the comfortable ones, but with a bit of fashion in it.”
Iza Calzado, meanwhile, prioritizes “Form and function. If I can have both, that’s the best.” Dingdong Dantes shared a similar answer, adding “comfort, style, and anything white.”
For Leon Barretto, it’s the simplicity that attracts him. “I don’t like my shoes to have a lot of designs on it,” he said. “So I look for a minimalist, simple look.”
Cassy’s twin Mavy saw it differently, saying he looks for “the uniqueness in a pair of sneakers, and as long as I love it, it’s perfect for me.”
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There’s something deliciously subversive about spending luxury prices on something that looks like it’s already lived its best life. And that’s the magic of Golden Goose.
Golden Goose has somehow flipped the script on what luxury traditionally means. Perfection is boring. Instead, these sneakers let you walk into a room carrying a silent manifesto against try-hard culture, all the while paradoxically signaling you’re totally in the know. It’s fashion’s favorite contradiction, and we’re here for every scuffed-up second.
Photos by Magic Liwanag
Visit the “Fioreria Golden” Golden Goose pop-up in Greenbelt, Ayala Center, Makati City.
Discover more at https://www.goldengoose.com/ww/en
