Salehe Bembury's 2002r

triumphant entry

as I move on from the Salahe 2002r "Water be the Guide" sneaker, I am left just thinking about the release of this shoe and wondering about designer collaborations. salehe's first 2002r, Peace be the Journey, was a wonderful shoe to behold. I was really excited to pick up his next collaboration, water be the guide.

salehe's design language, without knowing much about him, is bold, playful, and natural. as evidenced in his social media, salehe is in touch with nature and his design (at least in shoes, clothing, etc) evokes thoughts of hiking, water, moss, growth, and organisms. 

but they aren't "earth toned".

The colors are bold and playful, in a way somewhat unnatural. they reflect a saturated world, and makes me think about how the world seems more colorful and vibrant when you're in a good mood.

so to me the shoe captures the feeling of being delighted by nature. and it makes sense in how much salehe engages with nature. owning the shoe doesn't necessarily make me as excited as salehe is about nature, and not everyone who wears the shoe is part of an IYKYK "outdoors club". at the end of the day, there's just something about the design that imparts a piece of who Salehe is and how he views the world, and we all wanted it because we could feel that. and it looks cool to wear too.