You want fries with those shoes?
Sure, fashion designers have entered into unlikely partnerships with food and wine staples, but narrowing these collaborations down to sneaker brands and fast-food chains seemingly might make for odd bedfellows.
However, major industry players like Nike and Saucony have proven that there’s no limit to what you can put your name on, joining forces with Momofuku and Dunkin’ Donuts, respectively, to design sneakers that look so good you could almost eat them.
In the name of food and fashion, FN rounded up some of the most notable efforts produced by sneakerheads and their famous eateries of choice within the last year — as we continue to root for this proposed Vetements and Papa John’s collab:
The next #Vetements collab should be with Papa John's.
— Papa Johns (@PapaJohns) April 21, 2017
Watch on FN
1. Saucony x Dunkin’ Donuts
With the Boston Marathon steadily approaching, Saucony and Dunkin’ Donuts teamed up to create shoes for runners styled in the likeness of the coffeehouse chain’s breakfast treats. The limited-edition collaboration, based on the brand’s Kinvara 9 neutral running model, comes in both men’s and women’s sizes and features a fun print that resembles sprinkles falling off of a strawberry doughnut. Of course, the shoes wouldn’t be complete without the DD branding on the tongue and its signature “America Runs on Dunkin'” tagline on the heel. Expect Dunkin’ to literally keep America running when the Boston Marathon takes place on April 16.
2. The Shoe Surgeon x Pizza Hut
Ringing in March Madness this year was Pizza Hut’s new pair of “Pie Tops” — sneakers that essentially do the food ordering for you. In 2017, the restaurant chain enlisted Dominic Chambrone, a.k.a. The Shoe Surgeon, to design the first-ever basketball shoes that could order pizza for delivery by pressing a button on its tongue. The second iteration marked the first time the shoes were available for purchase, with 50 pairs made shoppable to the public in red and wheat colorways. Bonus point: While one shoe orders pizza, the other can pause live TV through a button inside its tongue so viewers never miss a play. Now that’s a win-win.
3. Ewing Athletics x Mikey Likes It Ice Cream
NBA legend Patrick Ewing’s namesake sneaker brand and the pop culture-inspired ice cream company introduced the Ewing Athletics x Mikey Likes It Ice Cream 33 Hi in August, boasting premium suede and leather in Mikey’s trademark royal blue hue. The shoes also feature metal accents — a nod to the stainless steel ice cream scoopers used to serve the dessert — and insoles with an image of the store’s beloved Southern Hospitality flavor. Tapping into a bigger message, Ewing Athletics explained that the translucent outsoles were designed to convey the ice cream company’s “social consciousness defined by keeping all communication between them and others as transparent as glass.” It even urged those who bought the sneakers to try Mikey’s new ice cream flavor, fittingly named Patrick Chewing.
4. Nike x Momofuku
Momofuku’s David Chang might be best recognized for his culinary expertise, but one thing to know about the chef is his affinity for the Nike brand. So it was a match made in shoe heaven when Chang and the athletic giant’s skateboarding team collaborated on the Nike SB Dunk High Pro “Momofuku.” The high-top sneaker, which was released in limited quantities last summer, came in dark gray (inspired in color by the Momofuku staff aprons) and featured the restaurant’s signature peach logo, with the Nike Air cushioning technology made visible. Marking his first venture into branded merchandise, Chang said, “I don’t want to throw our logo on, like, a T-shirt. This one feels like it counts.”
