British footwear icons Dr. Martens (started by a lovely bloke called Dr. Klaus Maertens, by the way, who just wanted some half-decent army shoes that he could walk in; he suceeded) and Japanese streetwear legends BAPE (also known as A Bathing Ape, the Harajuku-born label by designer Nigo) have joined forces on a very subtle but very effective take on the classic 1460 boot and 1461 shoe.
With BAPE’s cult camo print embossed into the smooth, quality leather of their uppers, the BAPE 1460 and BAPE 1461 come in classic black and cherry red and are a refreshingly easy-going collab by today’s standards: this could’ve very easily ended up a bells-and-whistles-y mess of influences. Appeasing two sets of fans is always tough, but thanks to these thoughtful takes on some of footwear’s most iconic silhouettes, everyone’s a winner.
UPDATE: Well, this just gets better. As the two brands announce a pop-up even in none other than Camden Lock Place, set in a double-decker bus. The first 80 to arrive get a pair of the collab shoes FOR FREE. Which is good, isn’t it? Good luck.
The Dr. Martens x BAPE 1460 and 1461 available in-store and online from Saturday 27th January
