A pair of Nike Air Max 97/1 designed by Sean Wotherspoon in 2018 are currently marketed for as much as 1,853 euros on resale platforms, suggesting how strong the sneakerhead and streetwear maverick’s cachet is.
Wotherspoon — who is known to be an avid sneaker collector and is cofounder of Round Two, the Los Angeles mecca of vintage streetwear and sneakers — has now been conscripted by Barrow for a capsule collection.
Hitting retail this fall, the lineup comprises full ready-to-wear looks, with pieces such as varsity jackets covered in collegiate patches featuring lettering and words nodding to both Barrow and Round Two, as well as new renditions of the former’s signature smiley logo reinterpreted by Wotherspoon.
The collaboration is seen as a win-win, enhancing Barrow’s international profile as it aims to expand its footprint in Asia and the U.K., having already accrued around 350 retailers in Europe.
The Italian streetwear brand has cultivated a following since launching in 2020, hitting sales of 11 million euros in 2022 and winning the attention of local and international celebrities including Miley Cyrus, J Balvin, Lil Nas X and Winnie Harlow, not to mention Italian rappers and personalities such as Chiara Ferragni.
Signaling its ambition to enhance its positioning, earlier this year the brand tapped Chicca Senia as its first creative director. Senia brought not only her design intuition attuned to the zeitgeist but also her connections and youth-centric crowd to the brand.
For his part, Wotherspoon touted the collaboration with Barrow as furthering Round Two’s positioning as a global brand, his primary business goal.
“With that in mind we are so excited to be working with Barrow. Italy has always been on the cutting edge of fashion and is known for quality materials,” Wotherspoon said. “Barrow and Round Two both have a keen eye for details and unique features that the wearer will appreciate,” he added.
Courtesy of Barrow
“The goal in working with Barrow was to grow our European market and leverage their incredible production capabilities, to create our first line of ‘Made in Italy’ products. We hope to use different techniques and facilities from around the world in future projects as well,” he said.
“Barrow and Round Two share similar tastes in color palette and graphic design; collaborating felt natural and easy. We dug deep into our archive and chose a lot of ’60s and ’70s pieces for inspiration. I think there’s something for everyone in our range,” he said.
Established in 2020, Barrow resulted from the synergy between Daddato SpA, which specializes in the production and distribution of kidswear collections under license, and the NXTGN consultancy agency founded by Federico Barengo and Paolo Sarimari.