5 Unusual Shoe Partnerships

I'm sorry; I just can't relate to a person who only has four pairs of shoes. I have a fairly serious shoe addiction and I don't care who knows it. In fact, after reading Jason's story, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to add a pair of Air McFlys to my collection. When they come out, that is. Jason is a regular blogger here on the floss, which is pretty appropriate since he's majoring in journalism at Northwestern. -Stacy Conradt

5 Unusual Shoe Partnerships
by Jason Plautz

Kool-Aid

The Simpsons

Marketing for The Simpsons Movie was huge (remember the Kwik-E-Mart promotion?), so it only makes sense that it would spread to footwear. The film's producers teamed up with Vans to come up with 14 shoe designs dedicated to America's favorite yellow family. They got fourteen underground L.A. artists to design the kicks, including graffiti taggers and one of the set designers from Pee Wee's Playhouse, so the shoes actually looked nice. Vans only produced 100 of each design, so don't worry if you didn't see one in your local Foot Locker.

Run DMC

I told everyone in the crowd, 'Put your sneakers in the air!' They turned the house lights up. When I looked out, the entire Garden was holding up one Adidas. "I turned to the rep and he said, 'You're getting your own sneaker deal!' It was for $1 million per year and I closed it on that stage.

The hip-hop world has been linked with sneakers ever since, including a 2003 partnership between Reebok and Jay-Z for the "S. Carter Collection by Rbk."

Apple

Apple and Nike teamed up to release the runner's dream tool- a sensor that links to an iPod to measure how far and fast you've run. The sensor in the Nike+ shoe will wirelessly send updates on your run to an iPod nano, which will then tell you (yes, as in speak to you) how far you've gone and how fast you're going. The data can also be uploaded to nikeplus.com, where you can track your running patterns and create a training regimen.

Marty McFly?

Say it with me: "Sidewalks? Where we're going, we don't need sidewalks."

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