Here’s what happened at the 50th anniversary of the Timberland Yellow Boot

To celebrate the 50 years of the Yellow Boot, Timberland tapped Tom Gould, filmmaker from New Zealand, to direct THIS IS NOT A BOOT: THE STORY OF AN ICON, a short documentary narrated by the voices and perspectives of communities and generations that paved the path the boot has walked and will continue walking on. Containing not only archival footage from founder Nathan Swartz’s son and grandson, the documentary featured a handful of culturally relevant global icons such as Jeff Staple, Ronnie Fieg, A$AP Ferg, Rakim, and Veneda Carter and niche influential figures such as Italian hip-hop artist J-Ax and Takayuki Ohashi. The documentary premiere took place at Apollo in Milan, a restaurant-turned-club that features a few different rooms, one of which was adapted into a cinema theater for the night. Drinks, music, and popcorn accompanied the festivities as Timberland reps, real paninaris from the era, personalities from the Milan fashion scene, sneakerheads, and even J-Ax gathered to pay homage to a silhouette that will never go out of style.

We got the opportunity to interview J-Ax about his personal connection to Timberland, as we asked him a few questions about the impact of the Yellow Boot on his career, style, and life. He provided insight about how he fell in love with the boot twice: first in the 80’s when they were seen as desired luxurious objects by the notorious Italian paninaris (they costed the equivalent of about 500 euros back then, as they were imported from the United States), and then in the 90’s when the American rappers he looked up to boasted them in every music video. He also proudly reminisced about his song Timberland Pro, which, for the record, wasn’t even a collaboration: it was a love letter to the brand. If you haven’t heard it, we suggest you tune in and tune out.

The documentary THIS IS NOT A BOOT: THE STORY OF AN ICON premiered in New York, London, Milan and Shanghai and will be launched globally on 18 October on digital platforms.