The sound of the Timberland Yellow Boot

It was 1973 when Sidney Swartz, son of the founder of the Timberland house, Nathan, conceived for the first time what would become one of the most striking symbols of Made in USA: the Yellow Boot. A shoe with a silhouette that is not exactly light, but perfect for the English bricklayers who handled heavy loads and fought bad weather, rain, wet and slippery land all day long. It is no coincidence that the key details of these shoe have always been the massive sole and the high-quality of the waterproof yellow nubuck leather.

These elements, together with the iconicity acquired by the Yellow Boot, transformed the shoes from a model to work to a product worthy of occupying the shelves of Bloomingdale's fin and Saks, to be worn by the "Paninari" of the 80s and by the rappers of the 90s.

Rob Walker in his book Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are, says that "the first to wear the Timberland boots were the pushers of NY, guys who had to stay in the street all night and they needed the best footwear to keep their feet warm and dry". But they were not the only ones to choose the Timberland because there were also Tupac and Biggie who started to show them off during their concerts and music videos.

 

Thanks to these artists, the work boots became "fashionable", iconic accessory of those 90s rappers who must wear them coordinated with bandanas, over jeans and golden rings. Not least, Italy was invested by this "Yellow Boot trend": some of the most influential singers of the 2000s proudly showed them during their live at the Festival Bar, when TRL dictated the law and the Gemelli Diversi sang Fotoricordo in white tank top, chains and (obviously) Timberland.

The things aren't changed this years, today the brand is connected to the music more than ever and rappers like Gué Pequeno or Tony Effe propose this key model in their looks.

This success, this iconicity, has allowed the survival of the Timberland shoe over the years. 45 years passed and the boot is still here, lives in the Nike era, in the era of collaborations, in the era of the "throwback", and no less was invested. The boot with the massive sole was found in the hands of some of the most famous designers of our days; Virgil Abloh dyed it with neon colors (2018), Supreme customized it with the details of the American flag (2017), mastermind JAPAN added a golden zip (2018) while Jeff Staple opted in 2007 for the hipster tartan. New colors, new fabrics and prints, the Yellow Boot becomes a white canvas on which to fantasize but despite the costum, despite the passing of the years, the OG preserves its authenticity.

It is no coincidence that Timberland has decided to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its hero product with a special edition, for men and women, that pays homage to the heritage of this historic design. To accompany the launch there will be the Celebrating Boots campaign, characterized by shots made by different photographers who with talent and creativity will have to represent at best an ideal of international community.

Here are some of our favorite artists with the iconic Timberland boots on their feet.

 

Notorious B.I.G.

"Doesn't make sense goin' to heaven with the goodie goodies / Dressed in white, I like black Timbs and black hoodies" - Suicidal Thoughts

In Biggie's texts these shoes are often quoted, so we can almost venture to say that they were his favorite ones.

 

Mobb Deep, The Infamous (1994) 

 

Parka, bandanas, denim and of course the Yellow Boot on the cover of The Infamous. Items that fully reflected not only the trends of those years but especially the mood of the famous American hip hop duo.

 

Tupac 

How to forget about the arrival of Tupac and Rosie Perez at the Soul Train Music Awards (it was 1993). She wrapped in white voilants, he total denim and, of course, Timberland.

 

Drake 

Casual, sporty and for Christmas: Drake chooses Timberland for his thousand street look.

Fan fact: the one you saw in the famous music video Hotline Bling is not a Yellow Boot (although they seem) but a very similar Nike ACG Manoa sneaker.

 

Chris Brown 

 

We can't miss the Loyal's choreography. Protagonist: Chris Brown (and his boots).

 

Kanye West

To watch a basketball game or to do shopping, Kanye chooses these shoes for everyday life.

 

Jay-Z

Perhaps the husband of Queen B is the biggest fan of these boots, he loves them to wear on every occasion, strictly unfastened, strictly in the Yellow version. Jay just can not live withou that  hip-hop 90s touch.