On September 20, musical artist and Bronx native Jae Tips released his latest collab with Saucony, and it’s already sold out on the brand’s website. “I think the universal appeal has come from people seeing themselves in my designs; they aren’t viewing my shoes like the average trainer but almost like a work of art,” Jae Tips tells Footwear Plus. “I appreciate how the shoes are selling, but the people wearing them seem to adapt and join the story.”
The sneakers’ story takes inspiration from the Bronx lifestyle, where reliable and comfortable sneakers help navigate the city and tackle daily tasks. Aptly named “The To-Do List,” the collection features two colors of the Saucony ProGrid Omni 9 and, for the first time, two kids’ Shadow 6000s. A loving father of two (the artist’s children starred in the To-Do List Campaign), Tips believes goal setting can start at an early age.
“There has been a ton of buzz surrounding the To-Do List collection since Jae teased it at Paris Fashion Week,” adds Russ Pope, Saucony’s senior brand marketing manager. “Jae Tips is an integral member of the Saucony family, and our partnership provides the brand tremendous energy because of our strong alignment on values, community, and of
course product and design.”
Each sneaker in the collection wears a vibrant array of colors, stemming from the artist’s love of color theory. “The purple pair is my superhero colors. Anyone who has followed my journey to this point has seen me make several versions of purple and coral products. They feel the same but always look different,” he offers. “The tan pair was the shoe I wanted to showcase to my best abilities what the future of designing looks like for me, with soft colors and materials. I just wanted to flex a bit on the tan.”
The shoes also feature a mixed mesh upper, glow edge TPU overlays, graphic tongue badging, and custom sock liners. The ProGrids are sold out on Saucony.com, but are still available through select retailers like StockX, GOAT, and Farfetch.
