Invites team of six future makers, including Samuel Ross, Edison Chen, and Nina Chanel Abney,
to reimagine the icon for the worlds ahead
2023 marks half a century since the original Timberland® Boot was first created – a design that cemented the tree logo as a hallmark of innovation, durability, craftsmanship, and purpose. With an appreciation
for the last 50 years and a dedication to build an even better next 50, Timberland will continue to drive boot culture in the same way it created it – with a pioneering spirit that celebrates the communities that have defined the brand’s past and present, and invites today’s generation to help shape its future.
Today, Timberland kicks off a full year of 50th Anniversary programming with the launch of Future73, which calls on six future makers from across the globe to reimagine the Timberland® Premium 6-Inch Boot through their own lens of bold innovation. Their capsule collections, which include complementary apparel pieces, will drop between March and October 2023. By infusing Timberland’s legacy with their unique vision, these iconoclasts have created a window into the past to modernize the icon for the
worlds ahead
The collective of world-renowned creatives and designers assembled for Future73 include:
Edison Chen, Canadian-born Hong Kong actor turned creator and founder of streetwear and
lifestyle brand CLOT; Samuel Ross, British designer and founder of A-COLD-WALL*; Suzanne
Oude Hengel, Netherlands-based knit researcher and footwear innovator and founder of Knit
In Motion; Nina Chanel Abney, Chicago-born, New York-based contemporary painter and artist;
Humberto Leon, Los Angeles-based designer, retailer, creative director, and restaurateur;
and Christopher Raeburn, British designer and founder of his own responsible fashion label,
RAEBURN.
Working in close partnership with the Timberland design team, each future maker took
a unique approach to catalyze the Timberland® Premium 6-Inch Boot into the future –
from incorporating new and unexpected knit technologies, to exaggerated features like
super-chunky rubber soles, to inspiring artwork coming to life, with the boot as canvas.
The project also produced the first-ever Premium 6” Boot to be designed for disassembly
through the brand’s Timberloop™ circularity platform. Throughout this future-looking
project, the Timberland DNA remains strong and clear. These boots – just like the original –
are built for change, built to be bold, with purpose and without compromise. Each was
imagined and prototyped in Timberland’s new in-house design innovation lab and maker space.
The innovators expanded upon their concepts by creating a capsule apparel collection to
complete each look. In addition, each had the opportunity to create a second future-looking
footwear design, based on the Timberland silhouette of their choosing.
The Future73 capsules will be released in a series of seven drops throughout 2023 at some
of the world’s most influential fashion and streetwear retailers, as well as Timberland®
flagship stores and timberland.com. Each drop will have its own launch moment, inviting
consumers to participate in creative sessions where the future makers will share their
vision and inspire the next generation of creative trailblazers. This will be supported by
a robust digital and social media campaign, including striking photography and a series of
heartfelt video interviews discussing their Future73 process and the overarching ideas
behind their collections, to amplify storytelling and connect with consumers worldwide.
“What an honor it has been to work alongside these amazing creative minds,” said Drieke
Leenknegt, Chief Marketing Officer for Timberland. “Each has taken the Timberland® Premium
6-Inch Boot and transformed it through the lens of their own bold innovation and design
ethos, giving us a view of what the icon of the future might look like. It’s our legacy, with
their vision, and together we’re forging new frontiers of boot culture.”
