Lupe Fiasco in October and his new Vans sneakers.
Photo: Getty Images/Courtesy of Vans
If there's one thing we love here at MTV Style, it's when musicians and fashion come together in the most epic of ways. The latest collaboration that we're spazzing over combines our fave rapper/singer Lupe Fiasco and Vans OTW. The result is a balls-out, killer sneaker that we're totally going to swipe up this holiday season. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's peep all the deets on these bad boys, shall we? The mostly-black leather Stovepipes, which Lupe called "Native Tongues," feature a throwback Aztec pattern down the center of the shoe with a contrasting yellow-orange outsole. In Lupe's design notes about the sneaks, he said, "It references immediately a '90s hip-hop aesthetic by appropriating the name of the retro-afro, conscious music collective and emulating some style cues they exhibited specifically in the use of traditional African patterns and color schemes in their mode of dress."
He continued, "The tongue and the inner sole of the shoe are the only places where the pattern is applied. [...] It creates visually and structurally—a sort of pure bridge or connection between what is possessed on the inside and what is expressed to the outside." Whew, Lupe is really gettin' deep behind the design of his sneakers! Would he kill us if we said we liked them just because, um, they look really awesome? *ducks* These shoes also come with a "Native Tongue" print canvas bag and custom Lupe Fiasco branded deluxe shoe box artwork. These kicks are available at select Vans OTW Collection retailers, which you can find here. Tell us—will you be swiping up a set of Lupe Fiasco's sneakers for Christmas? Let us know in the comments below!
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