Companies

Prada teams up with Cass on sneaker collab

May 23, 2022 Italy

The Italian luxury house partnered up with the artist Cassius Hirst to reinvent its iconic Prada America’s Cup sneakers, through a customized capsule collection of four styles, in 22 variables

The four style names - ATT4CK, D3CAY, SUST4IN, REL3ASE - were drawn from the world of music, referring to ADSR, a common type of music envelope that describes how a sound changes over time. This way, Cassius reflected the evolution of America’s Cup sneakers, by reconfiguring the surfaces of the 20^th-century design classic for a 21st generation. The Cass x Prada limited collection consists of 3 000 pairs, which are being sold through a selection of Prada boutiques and via prada.com.

All styles are hand-worked in Italy by the Fashion House, and there are no two pairs exactly alike, as each signature label possess a distinct Cass signature. Each pair is sold in a co-branded Prada box, featuring the logo of the artist – a scan of his brain. "The brain scan represents hope and knowledge in a world of shadows and uncertainty. The brain is where the thoughts happen – for me it all became about creativity and the creative process", explained Cassius Hirst.

"The Cass x Prada collection finds parallels between the bold work of this fresh talent and the heritage of Prada – the sense of the hand, an excellence in manufacture, a constant search for innovation, a restless urge to re-examine and reinvent our history. Here, the iconic silhouette of the Prada America’s Cup sneaker becomes a canvas for creation, offered in a special capsule. Something unique, something new”, commented Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Marketing Director and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility.

About Cassius Hirst

Cassius Hirst, better known as Cass, began using sneakers as a blank canvas for painting in 2018, using the classic Nike Air Force 1 sneaker as his canvas. In May 2019, Virgil Abloh invited him to host one of the inaugural workshops at Nikelab’s Chicago Re-creation Centre and sell his shoes at the ‘Church & State’ pop-up at the Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago. $AP Rocky, Samuel Ross of A-COLD-Wall* and 24KGoldn are counted as fans of his spray-painted designs.

Image Credits: pradagroup.com

Italy Companies Footwear Partnerships Prada Sneakers