JackThreads teamed up with New York sneaker icon PONY to create a collection based on the city that never sleeps. PONY (Product of New York) and JackThreads both call New York City home, so the collaboration makes sense. The collection includes two versions of the classic PONY Slam Dunk silhouette, a white sneaker to represent the day and a black sneaker to represent the night. The ‘No Sleep’ Collection captures the hustler’s spirit, and stays true to classic New York style.
The JackThreads x PONY ‘No Sleep’ Collection is available now exclusively at JackThreads.com with each pair retailing for $100.
Read more about the JackThreads x PONY ‘No Sleep’ Collection below as JackThreads Senior Buyer Michael Vincent walks us through the collaboration:
As with so many things in New York, the JT x PONY partnership arose organically, from a conversation about the need for a shoe that tells the true story of a New Yorker. Life in New York does involve hitting up hot, new restaurants and pregaming at a dive bars, but that’s not the bulk of it. Life in New York is a balance between hard work during the day and hustling at night. It’s a 24-hour day, and while it’s exhausting, it (somehow) makes an empty bank account worth it.
That’s how “No Sleep” was born. The black shoe represents nighttime, and the white shoe, which represents day, developed in contrast to it. It’s not just for the sake of appearances, but to express the idea that there’s always someone outworking and out-doing you, whether you know them or not, whether they’re in New York or halfway across the world.
From the color of the outsole to the design of the insole, every aspect of the shoe’s design has been carefully thought out. Because, as with everything from your daily hustle to a solid outfit, it’s an attention to detail that separates the great from the pretty good.
PONY’s hi-top Slam Dunk silhouette dates back to 1982. A retro icon with a white upper and red chevron, the Slam Dunk was born as a basketball shoe, made for aiming higher.
The “No Sleep” kicks things up a notch. Instead of its usual canvas iteration, the JackThreads x PONY Slam Dunks feature premium leather on the outside and a leather lining on the inside. Sure, it looks handsome as hell and feels smooth as butter, but it’s also more durable, so you can pound the pavement without missing a beat.
The premium execution doesn’t end there, though. Diamond perforations along the upper are a cool, simple detail that keeps the shoe subtle (but still eye-catching) by adding texture and depth to an otherwise monochrome shoe.
And while that smoked outsole on the shoes looks really f*cking cool, it’s also there for a reason. Because on a pair of premium sneakers, everything is intentional, and every detail, stitch, and hue is chosen for a reason.
The JackThreads footwear team and the guys at PONY opted for a gray, smoked outsole not because it looks a little gritty and a little dirty, but because in the New York City hustle, when everyone’s trying to out-do everyone else, things get muddled. The outsole is there to remind you that everything warrants an analysis and a long, hard, critical look.
“New York City is never what it seems. Everyone has a hidden agenda, and you have to really analyze things to find their true meaning.”
— Michael Vincent
PONY’s name appears on the tongue of both shoes, with the New York City skyline above it and the words “NO SLEEP” written upside down below. And this is where things get extra detail-focused.
On the black shoe, the PONY name is readable to the wearer, and “NO SLEEP” appears upside down (readable to someone looking at the shoe head-on). The inverse is true for the white shoe. So, as the wearer, you can read “NO SLEEP” on the white shoe while you’re awake and hustling (white = daytime, remember?), and on the black shoe, you can’t.
“If it’s daytime in New York, it’s nighttime in Japan, and vice-versa — the upside down skyline reminds you that when you’re asleep, there’s always going to be someone hustling and trying to out-work you.”
— Michael Vincent
Even the insole design, which is only visible when the shoe is off your foot, has meaning. The image of a blurred New York City street at night reflects the city’s crazy, hectic lifestyle, where so much is constantly being thrown your way and everything collapses into lights and sounds.
And while the “No Sleep” kicks exist to remind you of all the people doing work while you’re asleep, the insole of both the day and night shoes features the same image of New York. Because, in the words of JackThreads’ Michael Vincent, “New York is a global city, and making it here is a universal aspiration. Whether you’re hustling in Japan or hustling in New York, this is where everyone wants to be and where everyone wants to make it.”
(Via JackThreads.com)
