Timberland

Virgil Abloh's velvet take on the 6 inch boot is not for the faint of heart (or feet).

Off-White's Virgil Abloh, who spent the better part of 2017 remixing Nike's greatest hits and has spent the last five years pushing streetwear to the forefront of the fashion conversation, doesn't seem ready to stop any time soon. His latest trick? He's taken on another streetwear staple—Timberland boots. And as he's done with graphic tees and sneakers, Abloh's take on the classic 6-inch work boot is all about elevating the shoes to a luxury level. But how do you take a boot designed for construction and horrendous weather and make ‘em fashion? Well, you do them up in velvet.

Now, you might wonder why anyone would want a work boot in one of most luxurious, stain-vulnerable fabrics known to man. After all, it more or less undercuts the durable nature of the Timberland style. But this is Abloh doing what he does best: he's playing with the idea that Timberland’s 6 inch boots have always been a luxury item to those in the worlds of hip-hop and streetwear. To a lot of guys, a pair of scuffed Timbs is just as embarrassing as a stained T-shirt or wrinkled suit. By creating a version in velvet, Abloh has essentially upped the ante on the idea of keeping your Timbs box-fresh.

If the velvet construction wasn't enough to make you nervous wearing these remixed boots, know that Abloh, as he's wont to do, has also upped the price a considerable amount. A regular pair of wheat or black Timbs will run you a bit under 200 bucks, while the Off-White versions are $745. But there's no doubt that wearing a pair will, like velvet itself, be one of the smoothest style moves you can make in 2018. And if you're looking for another reason to wear the velvet blazer you copped for New Year's Eve, these are the shoes you've been searching for.