When you hit the big 5-0, one celebration just doesn’t feel enough. Indeed, that’s the mentality that the team over at Timberland seem to have adopted, opting for a whole year’s worth of festivities around the 50th anniversary of its iconic 6-inch boot! Rather than parties, though, the global brand will be toasting its flagship footwear by way of a series of collaborations with a coterie of boundary-pushing creatives, spanning disciplines of art, fashion and design.
The news was announced today at Timberland’s campus in the heart of New Hampshire’s expansive – you guessed it – timberlands. Here, the brand unveiled Future73, a year-long initiative that sees six creatives put their distinct spin on the brand’s signature shoe: Edison Chen, Canadian-born Hong Kong actor-turned-creator and founder of streetwear and lifestyle brand CLOT; Samuel Ross, British designer and founder of A-COLD-WALL*; Suzanne Oude Hengel, Netherlands-based knit researcher and footwear innovator and founder of Knit In Motion; Nina Chanel Abney, Chicago-born, New York-based contemporary painter and artist; Humberto Leon, Los Angeles-based designer, retailer, creative director, restaurateur and co-founder of Opening Ceremony; and Christopher Raeburn, British designer and founder of his own responsible fashion label, RAEBURN.
Working closely alongside Timberland’s design team, each was invited to reimagine the boot, drawing on the pioneering elements that have assured its icon status over the past half-century, and using their directional aesthetic sensibilities to propel it into the future. From Suzanne Oude Hengel’s incorporation of innovative knit techniques to Humberto Leon’s exaggerated chunky rubber soles and Christopher Raeburn’s wholly recyclable iteration, each proposes an irreverent, unexpected perspective on a boot that so many already know and love.
“From a cultural and historic standpoint, Timberland has always stood for craft, tension and durability,” mused Samuel Ross in a panel unpacking his Future73 capsule, which fused his yen for one-of-a-kind luxury sportswear with the American brand’s honed production capacities. “A-COLD-WALL tackles similar topics – we’ve always been interested in tensions, and the idea of recontextualising modern masculinity, which Timberland is an integral part of. That was a natural starting point, and from there, it was about trying not to repeat what Timberland had already produced – looking at how we could distort an icon, while also allowing it space to breathe.”
It doesn’t all stop at the boot, though. In addition to the footwear offering, each Future73 designer has also created an accompanying clothing capsule – allowing for the holistic articulation of their respective creative visions – and they’ve each created a second future-minded footwear design based on a Timberland silhouette of their choosing.
“What an honour it has been to work alongside these amazing creative minds,” said Drieke Leenknegt, Chief Marketing Officer for Timberland. “Each has taken the Timberland Premium 6-inch boot and transformed it through the lens of their own bold innovation and design ethos, giving us a view of what the icon of the future might look like. It’s our legacy, with their vision, and together we’re forging new frontiers of boot culture.”
Needless to say, it’s all pretty damn exciting stuff, and the question that’s no doubt on your minds is: Where can I get my hands on it? Well, rather than spoil you by releasing all of these treats in one go, Timberland will be drip-feeding the Future73 releases between March and October of this year, with each capsule drop launched with a workshop-style event with the designers. The goodies themselves will then be available for purchase through Timberland, as well as through some of the most influential fashion and streetwear retailers worldwide. On your marks…
