Fashion collaborations continue and sneakers are the shoe of choice trending. From cake and candy to toys and technology, a variety brands are partnering on unique sneaker collaborations.
NBA star Kawhi Leonard and New Balance have partnered on the New Balance Jolly-Ranchers themed Kawhi signature performance basketball shoe. Inspired by Leonard’s favorite childhood candy Jolly Ranchers, the sneaker is available in “Original Flavors” and “Blue Raspberry” color patterns. The brand is also offering a sport slide sandal, T-shirts, and new style for its 327 lifestyle sneaker and its 480 Low basketball sneakers. Flour Shop, the trendy NYC bakery known for explosion rainbow cakes, has collaborated with Vans on the Vans x Flour Shop collection in 12 products. Inspired by Amirah Kassem’s iconic rainbow with a “sprinkles and smiles” vibe, there are four sneaker styles, two backpacks, two shirts, socks, sunglasses, and a beanie.
Lego, the classic toy brand, has already collaborated on a fashion line with Levi’s. Now Lego has teamed up with Adidas on the Adidas Original ZX8000 sneaker as part of the brand’s A-ZX series. Inspired by the Lego brick, the sneakers resemble Legos using the primary colors, Lego stud designs and six lace color options. In honor of Super Mario franchise’s 35th anniversary, Nintendo and Puma joined forces on a Super Mario 3D All-Stars footwear collection. The collection is available in three styles: Future Rider, Clyde and RS-Fast.
Slack, the software tech company, and Cole Hann have teamed up on an unexpected sneaker collaboration. The Cole Haan x Slack Generation ZERØGRAND sneaker collection is based on the concept “#WriteNewRules for how the world works” and the sneakers are available in four colors: Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow. Jeff Staple, sneaker designer, and Dominic “The Shoe Surgeon” Ciambrone, creator of custom sneakers, have partnered on a limited-edition Jeff Staple x The Shoe Surgeon Dunk Low. The collaboration is part of their Just Vote initiative, which launched on October 7, 2020 and ended on November 3, 2020. The Just Vote site educated and empowered individuals to vote and to qualify, customers need to prove they voted. On election day, 20 winners were selected from a raffle to receive a pair of sneakers.
Although not sneakers, an interesting fashion collaboration is Pat McGrath x Supreme, which features a limited-edition MatteTrance Lipstick. This is Supreme’s first-ever beauty collaboration in its 26-year history. The lipstick is inspired by the brand’s iconic bright red color and the fun packaging is adorned with gold lips. Another novel fashion forward initiative is Chipotle, which is using the brand’s leftover avocado pits and upcycling them to make a plant-based dye. This dye is being used to create a T-shirt, a sweater, and tote bag. Chipotle is also offering additional branded merchandise such as cell phone cases, water bottles, and socks.
Sneaker collaborations seem to be en vogue fashion statements. Watch as more consumer packaged brands team up with sneaker brands on limited-edition sneakers.
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