Sperry Puts Photographer Gray Malin’s Images on Boat Shoes
Barbara Schneider-Levy
Senior Editor, Men's and Comfort
Sperry is setting sail this spring with a series of looks featuring the work of celebrated Los Angeles photographer Gray Malin.
Known for his aerial photographs, often capturing scenes of beaches on continents from Australia to Europe, Malin worked with the legendary boat-shoe brand to print his images on a collection of canvas designs based on the brand’s classic looks.
According to Malin, he initially got the idea while in a small plane photographing a beach from above. On a whim, he took a shot of his feet — clad in a pair of Sperry boat shoes — dangling out of the plane. The photo sparked the idea of applying the colorful scene below to a series of Sperry’s signature styles. “Sperry is an iconic brand, and seeing my images become wearable is so special,” said Malin ofthe venture.
Malin used three images for the shoe uppers: an aerial beach scene of Lisbon, complete with colorful umbrellas; a moody black-and-white beach scene taken in Italy; and the waters surrounding Cape Town.
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The series, called Sperry X Gray Malin, includes two unisex styles — the Authentic Original Lisbon Umbrella 2 eyelet boat shoe, retailing for $88; and the CVO Cefalu Umbrella Sneaker, $75.
There’s also the Seacoast Lisbon Umbrella Sneaker for women ($70) and the CVO Capetown Wave Slip-on Sneaker for men ($75).
The collection is available at Sperry.com and select Sperry retail stores.
