Breathing Fresh Air Into the Iconic 6” Boot, the ‘78 Hiker, and Apparel

As part of their ongoing Future73 collection, Timberland, the OG boot brand, tapped NY-based American contemporary artist Nina Chanel Abney for an outdoor-centric collaboration.

Known for her large-scale graphic artworks tackling heavy social subjects such as race, homophobia, and gender, Abney’s work juxtaposes bright colors, shapes, and symbols with difficult contemporary conversations.

The backdrop of the pandemic led Abney to re-visit her relationship with Mother Nature. With a style-first approach, Abney explores the duality of urban living with enjoying the outdoors. While hip-hop was her first connection to Timberland, the timeless and functional brand icons are prime for re-imagining at a time when city and outdoor culture are fluid.

For her collection, Abney reinvents the Original Timberland Boot but most interestingly, she resurrects the ‘78 Hiker, a boot that has stayed mostly out of the limelight but feels increasingly relevant. She also created a capsule apparel collection, taking cues from traditional hunting garb with contemporary camo prints and the use of hunter orange.

“Timberland appeals to a very broad audience with varying needs. However, this idea of ‘stylish urbanites taking on hiking’ was a great springboard for my collection. As a result, I chose to draw upon the idea of versatility for my collaboration. It was interesting to go through the Timberland archives and see some of the amazing silhouettes and designs that have inspired so much of what is currently trending,” said Abney.

Check out the entire collection at Timberland.