When the FN Achievement Awards return next month, the Bee Line x Timberland collection will be named the first Footwear News Collaboration of the Year.
This new award from Footwear News honors the most exciting design alliance of the year — and this wildly popular boot collection from Timberland and Pharrell Williams‘ Billionaire Boys Club more than earns the title.
At a time when everyone is in the collaboration game, Timberland and Pharrell’s united effort represented the very best of what these partnerships should be. From a creative standpoint, it was a perfect synergy: Timberland’s iconic boots were re-imagined in wholly original ways that blended the identities of both parties.
To start, there were the hugely popular Honeycomb and Grass boots. Billionaire Boys Club outfitted the classic 6-inch boots in an eco-friendly canvas made from Williams’ Bionic Yarn and coated them in eye-catching prints. Then there was a sleek study in blues. And most recently, a set of Jazz Age-inspired wingtip Brogue boots honor Williams’ musical influences.
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But what made this collaboration truly special was the energy both parties put behind the limited-edition product — and the unprecedented attention it generated on social networks among fans and brand loyalists, as well as Williams’ famous friends, including Beyoncé and Rihanna.
When Queen Bey appeared in Nicki Minaj’s video wearing the Honeycomb boots, she set the Internet abuzz (pun intended). Could there have been a better marketing moment?
Pharrell Williams is no stranger to creating must-have product. Last year, he helped the Adidas Stan Smith sneaker win FN’s Shoe of the Year award. (In 2015, that honor will again go to Adidas, for its Yeezy Boost sneakers with Kanye West).
Now in its 29th year, the FN Achievement Awards have recognized the biggest talents in the shoe business, including Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Stuart Weitzman and Pierre Hardy, as well as powerhouse brands like Nike, Under Armour and Prada.
Stay tuned to Footwearnews.com to find out about the other 2015 FN Achievement Award winners, including Designer of the Year, Brand of the Year and Company of the Year.
