HAS FASHION'S LORD OF DARKNESS BEEN SUCKED INTO BARBIECORE FEVER?

Brand: Converse x Rick Owens DRKSHDW

Model: TURBODRK Laceless Hi

Release Date: 16 May

Price: $185

Buy: Online at the Highsnobiety Shop

Editor's Notes: We've seen Rick Owens and Converse's sneaker partnership take many forms over the past two years, from beefy 90s basketball silhouettes to fluffy zebra print fabrics.

With every new collaborative release, the American designer plays with the brand's classic footwear line while keeping to his trademark minimal color palette, with the slight exception of a shiny silver pair last season, but this time around Owens has gone to the other end of the spectrum with a hot pink pair of sneakers.

And with only two months until the release of the Barbie movie this, of course, begs the question of whether fashion's lord of darkness has been sucked into the barbiecore fever?

So far, TikTok's obsession with all things pink in the lead-up to the new movie has seen 302 million views on Barbiecore-related content on the app, and Owen's newest sneakers are surely adding fuel to the trend's fire.

Releasing with the same exaggerated square toe that we saw in the brand's first-ever release, this model's updates go further than just a mere color change. Laces are optional on this version of the TURBODRK, thanks to a stretchy and secure internal construction that turns this shoe into a slip-on model.

The slip-on TURBODRK is not just available in the bright hot pink though, there's also a grey-hued "dust" option for a more low-key affair as well as a coordinating DRKSHDW bucket hat and tote bag.