These Hip-Hop Royalty Timberland waterproof boots are fire
In honor of both the birth of Hip-Hop and the design of the Original Yellow Boot, the Hip-Hop Royalty Timberland Waterproof boots have been announced by Timberland. Senior Footwear Designer Chris Dixon celebrates the brand’s 50th anniversary while paying homage to one of the most cultural and impact genres of music.
From Notorious B.I.G.’s popular “Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn” line from “Hypnotize” to the countless rappers that have name-dropped “Timberland” in their lyrics, and the brand has been deeply ingrained into hip-hop’s roots
“Hip-Hop is such an in-your-face genre where we created something out of nothing,” says Chris Dixon in a video posted on Timberland’s Instagram. “For Hip-Hop to be 50 years old and it’s still going — that says a lot about the foundation. Everybody in between those 50 years has contributed to something special.”
The purple uppers of the Hip-Hop Royalty Timberland Waterproof boots are claimed to reference both the color’s relationship with royalty and a particular graffiti artwork in the Bronx honoring Hip-Hop’s originator DJ Kool Herc. The gold collar and eyelets, meanwhile, resemble a crown.
The boots stand for the “four pillars of hip-hop” (MCing, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti), and pays respect to the genre’s origins with unique accents. The backstay’s Helcor materials are designed to resemble the texture of vinyl records, while the gray soles are inspired by New York City’s “Concrete Jungle” moniker.
“Sedgwick Avenue” is displayed on the green tongue and pays homage to the address of Hip-Hop’s origin. The Timberland tree emblem has been transformed into a graffiti stencil across the laterals, and thick serrated sole units and microphone chord laces complete the design.
To promote the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color designers in the footwear business, Timberland has collaborated with CNSTNT DVLPMNT to create youth mentoring and community activations.
“Having the opportunity to design in celebration of both boot and Hip-Hop culture is a huge honor for me,” Dixon adds. “The Hip-Hop Royalty Boot project is Timberland’s way of giving Hip-Hop its flowers and showing appreciation for what they have done for the brand. I am really happy to partner with Timberland and give young creatives something I did not have as a kid, which is the empowerment of creativity.”
The Hip-Hop Royalty Timberland Waterproof boots are now available at Timberland.com in both adult and kid sizes. The boot retails for $210 in men’s sizes and costs between $170 and $90 for women’s, children’s, junior, and toddler sizes.
