A big day has finally come for the sneaker fashion label Phileo.

Last year, the 19-year-old was exhibiting his shoe firm Phileo’s debut collection at Comme des Garçons’ Trading Museum.

Its addition to the Eli Russell Linnetz ERL, Vaquera, Weinsanto, Honey F–king Dijon, Liberal Youth Ministry, Rassvet, Sky High Farm, and Youths in Balaclava roster of brands under the Dover Street Market Paris umbrella — Eli Russell Linnetz ERL, Vaquera, Weinsanto, Honey F–king Dijon, Liberal Youth Ministry, Rassvet, Sky High Farm, and Youths in Balaclava — was equally swift

“It happened last Saturday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.,” the designer explained, his tone indicating that he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

The deal includes a location for him to exhibit his collections, as well as assistance with marketing and press.

However, it appears that speeding is one of his personality qualities. Landowski is already on his second business with Phileo, which means “I adore” in ancient Greek, at a time when other adolescents are exploring college possibilities.

Another could have returned to school after an injury ended his freestyle scootering days and the business that went with them, which he established at the age of 13. Landowski is not one of them.

He dropped out of high school and subsequently formal schooling entirely in favor of internships, which he did at Celine in production at the conclusion of Phoebe Philo’s stay. “I’m very motivated by enthusiasm and [a need] to learn constantly,” he said, adding that it was about this time that he decided to create shoes, which he’d been collecting for a long time.

“Any money I ever had, I spent on them,” he added, noting that his interest sprang from a childhood obsession with automobile design, which morphed into a fixation with kicks after he noticed the practical yet architectural forms of both things. “Plus, when you’re under the age of 18, sneakers are your preferred mode of transportation,” he said.

At the very beginning of the sneaker label, a serendipitous encounter with British-born, Paris-based artist Katerina Jebb led to an introduction to Dover Street Market chief executive officer and Comme des Garçons International president Adrian Joffe.

“When I figured out who Katerina’s buddy ‘AJ’ was, I Googled him and spent the next two weeks terrified of meeting [someone of his magnitude] at a time when I knew no one in the fashion industry,” Landowski said.

The tense prospect of a 30-minute meeting with the seasoned businessman, however, evolved into a lengthy discussion that ended with an invitation to debut his footwear at the Trading Museum in Paris.

Landowski will be able to concentrate his attention on design and increasing sustainability by joining the Dover Street Market Paris store, which he also joined as a creative consultant for sportswear experts Salomon last year. “Every season, the overall objective is to remain as clean as possible, but also to expand in a reasoned, practical way,” he said, adding that the sneakers will continue to be made in Portugal by the label’s existing suppliers.

Phileo’s distinctive design is retro-inspired, with thick soles and non-animal materials like canvas or plant-based leather substitutes. The unisex collection currently includes derbies and mary jane-style shoes in sizes ranging from 36 to 44 (about the equivalent of a women’s size 5 and up to a men’s 11 in the United States).

The designer’s fourth collection is inspired by his boyhood home in the South of France, where his great-grandfather owned a cobbler’s business. It will be on display at the 3537 multiuse space in the Marais from September 29 to October 5, with the collections of ERL Kids, Vaquera, Weinsanto, and Honey F–king Dijon, as part of DSMP’s spring 2022 physical exhibition.