Getting into boot season now aren’t we? You’ve got to be careful when purchasing boots because they’re usually on the slightly more expensive side of the spectrum, this usually means picking a solid brand. One that’s name doesn’t lie somewhere on the shelves at Shoezone. Once you’ve selected said brand you’ve then got to find a model that doesn’t look too Duke Of Edinburgh award – it’s a long process. Lucky for you we’ve had some news fall on our lap recently that makes buying a good-looking, hard-wearing, pair of boots much easier.
That news is the release of the Unownedspaces x Hanwag collaboration. Unownedspaces, for the uncultured of you, is an internet community that seeks to bring strangers closer, not only the natural world but also each other. Therefore the partnership between them and German footwear manufacturers Hanwag seems to be a natural one. The duo have teamed up to produce a reimagined Bergler UOS. No, it’s not some kind of anti-theft device, it’s a model of boot.
The Bergler is constructed from a suede leather that’s a very nice sort of pale green colour, a bit like algae we think. If you look inside the boot you’ll be met with chrome-free, anti-allergic leather lining, so your feet stay comfy and don’t break out in rashes when you’ve stomped through weird algae. Flipping the boot over, there’s a stitched Vibram® Tessin wedge sole that looks to be pretty bulletproof.
For the campaign imagery, Hanwag took things back to their Bavarian roots, capturing the wild, green landscapes of their homeland, you wouldn’t know it though, it looks just like Wales. An uninterested-looking cow and sheep also make a feature. The shots of the campaign remind us that not all outdoor stuff needs to be super high-tech and actually by making things futuristic you quite often lose some of the charm that made it popular in the first place. The model is pictured wearing a pair of shorts, the boots and is brandishing a big stick. All a man needs.
The boots come with four considered different lace options, not just the typical extra pair thrown in for good measure you sometimes get. Each pair changes the look of the boot significantly, the Navajo-looking options invoke more of a travelling outdoorsman look whereas the solid colours provide a more uniform silhouette to the boot.
It goes without saying that Unownedspaces have done a fantastic job with their creative choices for the boot, but equally as importantly they’ve chosen the right brand to work with. Hanwag have been about for ages, since 1921 to be exact, but sometimes seem to slip into the background when you think of outdoor brands with influence on the fashion world. This collaboration has not only produced a very tasty looking piece of footwear but also serves as a reminder of the relevance of a sleeping giant in the outdoor world.
The Bergler has been released in extremely limited numbers and is available to buy here.
