This year both Timberland and hip hop are turning 50 years old. 1973 was the birth year of the brand and hip hop. The fashionable work boot brand has cemented itself in hip hop culture and fashion for decades. To celebrate its anniversary and the fashion influence it has had on the culture, Timberland designed a new boot, the Hip Hop Royalty. The boot has the iconic silhouette of the classic Timberland workhorse, but in a purple and gold colorway, a graffiti logo on the side and mini-microphone aglets. The purple and gold upper is a nod to royalty, the graffiti harks back to the Bronx mural dedicated to DJ Kool Herc, and the microphone shapes are a reference to the music.
The boot was designed by Chris Dixon, Senior Footwear Designer, Advanced Concepts & Energy team at Timberland. Dixon also runs the Black-owned small business called CNSTNT DVLPMNT (Constant Development), which he founded in 2018 and is running with his daughter color specialist Jade Dixon,, and brand and education director Melvin Melchor. His business' mission is to bring products, education, and experiences to expand the creative community. Timberland’s partnership with CNSTNT DVLPMNT will focus on youth mentorship and community activations to further the representation of Black, Indigenous and POC designers within the footwear business.
“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,” says Dixon.
