Honors Culture that Made Original Timberland® Boot an Icon
February 24, 2023, New Hampshire: It’s been fifty years since the Original Timberland® Boot was first created – a design that cemented the tree logo as a hallmark of innovation, craftsmanship, durability, and purpose. In a stroke of coincidence, 2023 also marks the 50th anniversary of the Hip Hop movement. As part of a year-long series of projects that embody Timberland’s pioneering spirit, the brand is sharing stories of the people who helped build it; a key chapter is the role Hip Hop has played, and will continue to play, in driving boot culture.
Timberland is pleased to present the Timberland® Hip Hop Royalty Boot, designed by Chris Dixon, Senior Footwear Designer, Advanced Concepts & Energy team. With this project, the iconic Timberland® Premium 6-Inch Boot is reimagined with intricate design details that speak to Hip Hop – from a bold purple and gold colorway to a graffiti logo treatment to mini-microphone aglets.
The project transcends product to partner with Black-owned small business CNSTNT:DVLPMNT (Constant Development)—which was founded in 2018 by Chris Dixon and is operated by Chris, his daughter Jade Dixon, Color Specialist, and Melvin Melchor, Brand and Education Director—with the aim of bringing product, education, and experiences to expand the creative community. Timberland’s partnership with CNSTNT:DVLPMNT will center on youth mentorship and community activations to advance the representation of designers of color in the footwear industry.
For his boot design, Dixon delved into the rich culture of Hip Hop.1973 was the year that Timberland’s original yellow boot was introduced in New Hampshire to give outdoor workers the protection they needed; it was also the year that Hip Hop was born in the Bronx. These two very different worlds collided and melded, influencing each other over the course of the subsequent decades until they have today become inextricably interlinked.
Every element of the Hip Hop Royalty Boot is imbued with meaning. The purple upper is a nod to the color’s centuries-long association with royalty and power, and a graffiti mural in the Bronx dedicated to Hip Hop’s founder DJ Kool Herc. The gold eyelets and collar, which emulate a crown, bolster the boot's regal narrative. The gray sole is inspired by New York City’s ‘Concrete Jungle’ moniker and the textured Helcor material that runs up the backstay, by vinyl records. A green label reminiscent of a New York City street sign traverses the tongue and is printed with ‘Sedgwick Av' – the street address of the house party where Hip Hop was born. The boot’s laces are modeled on a mic cord aglet and the label on the boot’s hangtag (known by insiders as the “Badoink”) depicts DJ turn tables. Finally, the Timberland® tree logo has been reinterpreted as a purple graffiti tag.
Together, the signatures of the Hip Hop Royalty Boot incorporate the four elements of Hip Hop: MCing, DJing, break dance, and graffiti. Through these mediums, young Black and Brown people from the Bronx developed a whole new means of self-expression, and now Dixon is celebrating the multifaceted art form that changed music forever. Everything down to the boot’s seam-sealed construction and 400 grams of PrimaLoft® insulation has been considered – retaining the qualities of waterproof protection, warmth, and style that drew the Hip Hop community to the original.
While the BIPOC community has been instrumental in cultivating footwear culture, just 3% of designers identify as Black or Brown. Dixon plans to change that statistic with CNSTNT: DVLPMNT and Timberland is supercharging his mission. The workshops, which aim to nurture students' creativity and open their eyes to new potential career paths, will start in New York and expand to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charlotte throughout spring and summer 2023. Timberland designers will make guest appearances; one student design from each workshop will be brought to life at Timberland’s in-house prototyping lab and maker space; and the brand will facilitate a student-led marketing photoshoot with a professional photographer.
Chris Dixon, Senior Footwear Designer, Advanced Concepts & Energy for Timberland says: “Having the opportunity to design in celebration of both boot and Hip Hop culture is a huge honor for me. The Hip Hop Royalty Boot project is Timberland’s way of giving Hip Hop its flowers and showing appreciation for what they have done for the brand. I am really happy to partner with Timberland and give young creatives something I did not have as a kid, which is the empowerment of creativity.”
About CNSTNT DVLPMNT
CNSTNT DVLPMNT (Constant Development) is on a mission to cultivate untapped talent and expand the creative community. They are a product, educational, and experiential brand inviting creatives on the journey of discovery, empowering them with opportunities for further growth, and catering to their creative needs. CNSTNT DVLPMNT’s core values are Culture Diversity, Creative Disruption, Courageous Devotion, and Conscious Design. Their brand mantra is, “Development of any sort will improve a current state and yield new results.” They encourage us all to do this constantly.
About Timberland
Timberland is a global outdoor and work inspired brand that’s on a mission to inspire and equip consumers to step outside, work hard together and move the world forward. Based in Stratham, New Hampshire, Timberland also has international headquarters in Stabio, Switzerland and Shanghai, China. Best known for the Timberland® 6-inch Premium Boot, the iconic yellow work boot introduced in 1973 to take on the harsh elements of New England, Timberland today offers a full range of footwear, apparel, and accessories. The brand is widely recognized as the arbiter of boot culture.
At the heart of the Timberland® brand is a vision for a greener and more equitable future. This comes to life through a decades-long commitment to make products responsibly, protect the outdoors, and strengthen communities around the world. Built for Adventure. Built for Impact. Built for the Bold.
To share in Timberland’s mission, visit a Timberland® store, timberland.com or follow @timberland or @timberlandpro. Timberland is a VF Corporation brand.