Art and fashion are two fields of ongoing creative expression and innovation. But whereas art is free of any constraints but the human imagination, fashion is often bound to the demands of a fast-paced and often seasonal industry. However, once the two are put together, the fusion often creates a timeless classic: think of Run DMC and Adidas. Well, Timberland just recently launched the Christopher Wallace Collection to monumentalize the 30th anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G.’s first album, Ready to Die, and thus honor Biggie’s music and his legacy.
For those that aren’t really all that familiar with the ’90s rap scene, Christopher Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie, was among the first rap artists to start wearing Timberland boots. In fact, he’s often credited as one of the artists who helped popularize Timberland footwear and turn it into a staple of urban fashion, particularly in both hip-hop and popular culture. Thus, the new collaboration features the iconic Timberland 6-inch boot in two iconic styles, representing Biggie’s impact on both fashion and music.
The collaboration introduces the Original Timberland boots in wheat and black colorways, with detailed elements that incorporate the iconic visuals from Biggie’s 1994 Ready to Die album. This mostly refers to the cover and some lyrical details that are incorporated into the Original Timberland boots’ design. The Ready to Die cover features an infant sporting an afro, which is meant to represent the artist, against a white background, with his name and the name of the record written at the top and bottom, respectively.
The same depiction of an infant is now featured on the shoe’s tongue, while one of the hang tags features the representation of the original album cover, since the 30th Anniversary re-release of Ready to Die features a cover different than the original. The other hang tag features a gold-toned crown inspired by Biggie being regarded as the “King of NYC.” But that’s not all; the overall design of the boot hasn’t changed much as Timberland’s designers wanted to keep the details subtle and in line with Biggie’s style and the cover design.
However, that doesn’t mean that the subtle details stopped at the tongue and hang tags. The soles at the heel, as well as the padded collar (boot cuff) of the Original Timberland, now feature the “The Notorious B.I.G.” laser etched and embossed into the material. The Timberland logo featured at the side of the heel, usually laser etched or embossed into the material, is replaced with a solid gold-colored metal badge that depicts the brand logo. Another major difference between the original boot and the Notorious B.I.G. × Timberland collaboration is the lace lock.
While the original models don’t usually ship with a lace lock (a branded accessory that sits horizontally at the bottom of the laces, near the toe area), Biggie’s version of Timberland boots does feature one per boot. The lace tag also has a Timberland logo pressed into it, while the eyelets (grommets) remain unchanged when compared to the original. What has changed are the laces; the new laces feature aux tips (also known as the 3.5mm TRS audio connectors) as the aglets.
Aux tip aglets are a nice touch that symbolizes the direct and personal experience of enjoying music before streaming became the norm. Back then, in the mid-90s, people used to listen to music on cassette or CD players. Ready to Die was primarily released on audio cassettes, so people would plug their stereo headphones into their Sony Walkman cassette players to listen to the record on the go. Biggie’s second album, 1997’s Life After Death, was primarily distributed on CD, and people used to carry portable CD players (Discman) to listen to the album.
In fact, the whole experience of listening to music was much more personal in the ’90s, when music players had a limited number of songs, and we would create our own mixtapes to carry around and listen to. The options were limited, but the lack of choice didn’t introduce decision fatigue; instead, it offered a more immersive, satisfying, and intentional listening experience, not to mention the freedom from all the algorithms and machine curation.
The marketing campaign for the Notorious B.I.G. × Timberland collaboration will also feature the avatar of the Notorious B.I.G., which is actually a hyper-realistic model of the late rapper created through advanced motion capture and AI technologies. On top of that, Timberland will also support the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation’s program surrounding reading literacy by funding book drives for local children and families.
The Foundation was founded in 1997 by Christopher’s mother, Violetta Wallace, in honor of the memory of her son and as a vehicle for giving back to the community. The organization focuses primarily on education through scholarships, grants, mentorship programs, tutoring, books, and enrichment programming, allowing children to realize that the Sky is the Limit. The Notorious B.I.G. × Timberland booths have already gone on sale as of September 27, 2024.