Shelflife Past Footwear Collaborations
Over the past 15 years, we’ve had the honour of collaborating with amazing international and local brands on sneaker releases. From FILA, PUMA and New Balance, to adidas Consortium and Grasshoppers, we’ve been privileged enough to make our own mark on some iconic silhouette.
Grasshoppers x Shelflife Moccasin
Our Grasshoppers collaboration was a big moment for Shelflife. Not only was it an honour to collaborate with such an iconic local brand, but the response and support we got was something we never expected. Released in Brown, Beige or Grassy Green, the Grasshoppers feature our SL logos monogrammed across the upper. Each pair also came with matching socks and a lace swap. All the pairs sold out on day 1 with customers begging for a restock which we had to do as soon as we could. Watch this space for new Grassy creations.
adidas x Shelflife ZX 4000 Sample
Released in 2019, our collaboration with adidas was a massive milestone for us. It was the first time a South African brand had collaborated with adidas Consortium and our sneaker was sold in all Consortium doors including KITH, END. Clothing and atmos, to name a few. The upper is constructed using luxe greyscale nubuck and woven fabric underlays. The medial side of the shoe showcases a colourful, jacquard-printed panel referencing South African fabrication and culture. Orange detailing on the lateral side, heels, lace tips, tongue, and lace toggle pop against the more muted upper. See the video shot by Paul Ward below!
FILA x Shelflife Mindblower
FILA teamed up with a massive amount of over 50 stores or designers to re-create the Mindblower in their own style in 2018. Along with Archive and Lemkus in South Africa, we were honoured to be included in this global project that saw our pair being sold around the world. And of course, we dipped the whole shoe in orange in true Shelflife style with a video to accompany it. See the release recap here.
New Balance x Shelflife 574
Launched in partnership with Dr Zulu, the New Balance 574 'City of Gold' was released in 2014. It drew inspiration from the city of Johannesburg, referencing the Parktown Prawn on the lace lock, and the yellow and grey colourway reflecting the colours of the local train system. Lastly, it features a stylized diamond symbol that mimics the graphics of traditional African tribal artworks. Have a look at the sample version that never made it to production. It features Shelflife branding on the lace lock and insole, as well as a premium leather upper panel.
PUMA x Shelflife Suede Pack
Our first big international footwear collaboration, PUMA allowed us to go wild and release 4 colours - 2 lows and 2 high PUMA Suedes in 2011. Coming in orange or yellow, orange pairs formed part of the 'Laces & Ladies' pack and featured dripping lace details on the side, as well as Shelflife tag logos above the PUMA on the tongue. The high featured a large & symbol on the heel and mudflap style women silhouette inside, while the yellow 'Train Runner' versions for men featured an African dripping continent on the inside and a Metro train on the insole. Each pair was completed with bold Shelflife branding and a metro train along the bottom of soles.
Nike Dunk High ‘Shelflife Nike ID’
Created in 2009 at the Nike ID Studio in London, this custom pair features tonal pattern uppers underneath super soft grey leather panels. The Dunk High was made with a Gold swoosh, orange stitching and even has Shelflife embroidered straight onto the leather - something Nike ID never do today.
