Tom Hardy wore mountain sneakers to a charity lunch, and honestly, respect

Some men wear sneakers. Tom Hardy wears them the way he does everything else, as if someone has just insulted his mother.

Look at the CV, an ex-Marine turned MMA fighter in ‘Warrior’. Bane, who broke Batman’s back and a few of our hearts. Charles Bronson, Britain’s most notorious prisoner. Harry de Souza in ‘MobLand’, a man who fixes problems for a living and presumably doesn’t invoice. The UK has crowned him its leading hard man, and the crown fits.

So when he rocked up to the BGC Group Charity Day beside Helen Mirren, he wore a Vans. Specifically the Crosspath XC Gore-Tex, which are more “survive the skate park, then the mountain behind it.”

Here is a reconstruction of events though, not verified. Entirely true in spirit.

Helen Mirren: Tom, it’s a charity lunch.

Tom Hardy: adjusts speedlaces Weather’s turning.

Helen Mirren: We’re indoors.

Tom Hardy: Weather’s always turning.

Somewhere, a meme was born: Me at the supermarket in my Gore-Tex shoes: prepared for K2. Hardy, of course, is the original.

Also Read: Chalo, let’s talk about the Rolexes nobody told you about 

The man is no stranger to a sneaker, mind. His arsenal includes the Supreme x Air Jordan 5s in ‘Desert Camo’ and the black Off-White x Air Jordan 5s. A sneakerhead with a bruiser’s budget. But these are a different beast.

The Crosspath XC Gore-Tex arrived earlier this year as an evolution of the Crosspath, which debuted in 2024 as the brand’s outdoorsy offering. The skate-first label has form here, thanks to its Mountain Trail Engineering line, built for unpredictable weather.

The classic side stripe stays for the devotees, but everything around it has toughened up. A Gore-Tex Invisible Fit membrane keeps water out while letting your feet breathe. Underfoot, a Vibram XS TREK EVO outsole grips the ground, while RapidWeld reinforcement adds durability without any bulk. The speedlace system gets you out of the door in seconds, handy if you’re being chased, or merely late.

Also Read: Spring runway bags and shoes you’ll zoom in on, then start budgeting for

All of this will set you back about ₹16,000, which, for shoes that can handle bog, bluff and buffet, is frankly a bargain. Your Chelsea boots have never once been asked to scale anything.

So here is the question these shoes are really asking. Think you can take them on?

Don’t answer that. He’s already wearing them.

(Disclaimer: The price has been converted from US dollars ($180) to Indian rupees at the current exchange rate and is approximate. Actual pricing in India may vary.)