FEW THINGS are more human than the desire to move: to go somewhere, to get away, to arrive, to begin again. Then there is the more elusive fantasy of rising above it all. Forty years ago, Hogan found a way to bring those impulses together under one pair of shoes.
Founded in 1986 within the Tod’s Group, Hogan emerged from a deceptively simple proposition: that footwear could be beautifully made, highly functional and entirely modern. Its story has since become a kind of urban mythology, built around movement, freedom and the belief that luxury is ultimately about how you live.
For its 40th anniversary, Hogan is celebrating that legacy through Made to Move, Born to Rise: four short films by four young directors, each revisiting a defining decade and an iconic Hogan silhouette. Rather than simply looking backwards, the films reinterpret the past through contemporary eyes, revealing a brand whose identity has always evolved without losing its essential spirit.
The story begins in the 1980s with Nicolò Folin’s Celeste. Inspired by the Hogan Traditional, the film blends live action and animation to tell a story of determination and imagination. At its heart is a young girl confronting something that seems beyond her reach – a fitting metaphor for Hogan itself, whose winged logo has always suggested the possibility of going higher. The Traditional’s pared-back elegance, originally inspired by cricket, established an aesthetic that could move effortlessly between generations and worlds.
The 1990s brought a faster pace and a new way of dressing. After Andrea Della Valle observed women commuting through New York in sneakers before changing into formal shoes for work, Hogan responded with Interactive: a luxury sneaker designed to stay on the foot, whatever the destination. Sarah Narducci’s Nine Hundred captures that era’s restless energy. Set on New Year’s Eve 1999, as the world waits anxiously for the millennium, a young skateboarder named Mara is focused on landing one final trick before midnight. It is a story about speed, courage and the thrill of moving forward.
Gregorio Mattiocco’s Never Off enters the 2000s with a more introspective mood. Centred on the lightweight Olympia, the film follows a celebrated woman attempting to escape the glare of public attention. Its story of identity, image and self-discovery reflects an increasingly image-conscious decade, and asks a timeless question: who are we when the world stops watching?
Finally comes Paoli De Luca’s Lola Rebel, inspired by Hogan’s rebellious spirit and the evolution of Hogan Rebel. Emerging from The Jack Kerouac Project in 2007, Rebel channelled the freedom of On the Road and later found its perfect emblem in James Dean. Lola Rebel brings that spirit into the present through a story of liberation and reinvention, reminding us that rebellion is not simply about rejecting the rules, but finding the freedom to become someone new.
Together, the four films reveal that Hogan’s true subject has never just been the sneaker. It is the person wearing it. Four decades, four silhouettes, four stories – all united by one instinct: to move.
Hogan Cool Blue Special Edition
That spirit continues with the Hogan Cool Blue Special Edition, unveiled for the anniversary in vibrant blue pony-effect leather, with H86_26 details echoed across the outer-sole and laces. Available now, it is less a souvenir of the past than a nod to a new chapter.
Because Hogan has never been interested in standing still.
At 40, the wings are still unfolding. And the invitation remains as bold as ever: move freely, live fully, and rise above the ordinary.
by Imogen Clark