The RISE x Brandblack Mirage ‘Desert’ Honors the Military

New York’s RISE and California-based Brandblack have linked up for a collaboration that celebrates military service. Like the ‘Lost Ones’ project, the RISE x Brandblack Mirage ‘Desert’ is close to the chest of RISE co-founder Chase Peso.

Peso released this letter on the RISE blog:

“I spent four years serving in the United States Air Force and two tours of duty in the Middle East. My experience over there was better than many others, but everyone who has served shares memories of that place. The desert envelops and surrounds you, becoming an endless plain of sand and rock. It all begins to blend together. You could travel miles and the terrain would look like you never moved an inch.

Working in footwear I knew I could deliver a part of that experience in a shoe. At a time when we conveniently forget that these wars are still being waged – officially and unofficially – it’s important not only to remember that it’s happening but also to pay homage to those doing the fighting. That’s why we’re introducing the “Desert Mirage” with Brandblack.

For my team & I, collaborations are about bringing a story to our customers, so we needed to find a partner who was willing to tell the whole story with us. I know for many sneaker fans this may be their first introduction to Brandblack, but the involvement with their team was crucial for many reasons. They were willing to go the distance and develop a story that was more complex than the typical collaboration. We needed a clean silhouette that didn’t have much social expectation or history to it, and Brandblack allowed me to take one of their signature sneakers – the Mirage – and pare it down to the very rawest version of the shoe. We needed to tell this story totally and completely without assumption or expectation. Brandblack offered us all of that

We’ve dressed the shoe in camo printed suede, using a distinct color palette to reflect how the heat and sand and dunes of rock begin to appear to the eye over time. It’s a small way to remember that landscape, but one we can wear and take with us. The left tongue features a debossed hit with a four stripe chevron, representing my rank while I was serving. We’ve replaced the traditional center star of the chevron with a basketball, reflecting the origin of Brandblack’s basketball aesthetic. Meanwhile, the right tongue sees Will Durant’s famous quote ‘Our knowledge is a receding mirage in an expanding desert of ignorance’ debossed. Something that I kept remembering while developing this concept. The interior lining is finished in calfskin leather, and the outsole features the brand’s dual durometer injected Jetlon technology.

Thousands of soldiers have gone to that desert, and sadly many have not come back. The sand of that place reminds me of the sand of an hourglass and the time which can never be regained, stopped or reversed.

What’s done is done, but we can always remember. I believe that even if one doesn’t share these memories, they can support their meaning and remember that the fight still wages… even if you can’t see it.”

Even the unique packaging for this Mirage echoes the shoe’s pattern and inspiration. The RISE x Brandblack Mirage ‘Desert’ is limited to only 240 pairs worldwide and will only be available in US men’s sizes 6.5 to 12. The in-store release is today at RISE (315 Main Street, Huntington Village, New York, 11743), first come first served. The online release is tomorrow, July 15, at 12 noon EST on rise45.com. The shoe is priced at $150.

Will you be picking up the RISE x Brandblack Mirage ‘Desert’? Thoughts on the inspiration for it? Sound off below.

Source: RISE45