K-Swiss and Los Angeles-based label Bricks & Wood are launching a new collaboration sneaker on May 20 that celebrates Black and brown voices of the past, in particular Dazo Anderson, the first Black shoe designer at K-Swiss and uncle of Bricks & Wood founder and chief executive officer Kacey Lynch.
The sneaker is a white, tonal shoe with a translucent blue outsole with each foot bearing half of the brand name: “Bricks” and “& Wood.” The partners are launching the pair at the Flower District Gift Shop in Downtown Los Angeles and supporting the launch with a community activation called ‘For Daily Use’ at K-Swiss’ Los Angeles headquarters. The program will utilize technology to provide the youth access to design industries.
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“Creating space for the past, present and the future of Black design, we have taken this moment to use our own design creativity to tangibly create this space, from campaign execution, shoe design details, activations and lastly, giving Black and brown kids within the community access,” Lynch said. “It was important for us to give them something tangible, with tools they can use to design their own future.”
In addition, the style is supported by a campaign that asks the question, “Where are the Black designers?”
“At K-Swiss, we look back but live forward, and this collection is true to that ethos,” said Scott Boulton, global vice president of trend and energy at K-Swiss. “From the inspiration and creativity that Dazo implemented on the brand back in the ’90s to Kacey’s vision moving forward, we have created an assortment of styles that are not only impeccably designed, but rich in heritage and relevant for today.”
Bricks & Wood was one of four streetwear brands picked by the NFL this year to create a capsule collection for Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. The brand and fellow Los Angeles-based streetwear lines Bella Doña, Circulate and Rip N Repair each contributed to the Origins: An NFL Collection capsule that launched at a pop-up shop event in Los Angeles ahead of the game.
Meanwhile, K-Swiss in recent years produced collaborations with rapper YG and capsule collections with tennis star and entrepreneur Venus Williams.
The Bricks & Wood and K-Swiss collaboration will have a global online release on K-Swiss and Bricks & Wood’s respective websites on May 24.