Stüssy has announced it’s tinkering with the Nike Vandal yet again, but there’s a catch. Unless you’re in Japan, it’s going to be awfully hard (or perhaps just expensive) to get a pair.
After releasing three colorways of its Vandal earlier this summer, Stüssy is now partnering with Tokyo-based label Noma T.D. for a Japan-exclusive variant of the ’80s basketball sneaker. It, too, appears to make use of a hemp upper — albeit with a more complicated design inspired by the hand-crafted, traditional techniques Noma is known for.
The navy upper hosts custom prints featuring splashes of pink and white to go along with an embroidered pink Swoosh. A custom design, also in pink, then appears on the ankle strap and imbues the same spirit as Stüssy’s well-known font. Stüssy’s surfer logo makes an appearance on the tongue tag, differing from the “Double S” mark that appeared on its predecessors.
Even though the announcement takes care not to claim anything here has been done by hand, it remains evident that a different approach has still been taken. The “T.D.” in Noma T.D. stands for “textile design,” and the brand’s caring treatment of materials has made it a cult favorite. It’s the kind of brand favored by dudes also into Engineered Garments, which makes the fact that they’be collaborated with each other all the more fitting.
Each of the Nike Vandals previously released by Stüssy can be found for cheaper than retail on platforms for StockX, even the “Fossil” colorway that’s become a through-line in Nike x Stüssy collabs. The same may not be able to be said for the this three-party effort, which will release Friday, Sept. 1, exclusively at Stüssy’s store in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo.
