
Photo: Courtesy of Prada
Amid the wave of collaborations in the fashion industry, Prada has enlisted Cassius, son of renowned British artist Damien Hirst for a cool new sneakers collection. The Gen-Z creative has reimagined the Prada America’s Cup sneaker in a customized capsule of four styles, in 22 variables.
While sneakers have always been his canvas, since having started to paint at the age of 14, Hirst’s collaboration with Prada kicked off when Miuccia Prada saw one of his designs. “I would mask off part of the body of the shoe, and then wrap the whole shoe in the stencil. It looked crazy,” reveals Hirst. “I sent a photo to my dad [Damien Hirst], and then he sent a photo of that to Miuccia [Prada]. And she said, ‘This looks amazing, let’s do something.’ The best part about this project – this collaboration – was how willing Prada are to invest their time, to be open to ideas, to challenges. And to really commit to something new.”

Photo: Courtesy of Prada
The Cass x Prada collection coexists with the novelty of Hirst’s fresh talent and the classic heritage of Prada–the ingenuity, search for innovation, and drive to reinvent the fashion scene, are all reflected in this collection.

Photo: Courtesy of Prada
The four Cass x Prada sneaker styles draw names from music and reflect all of Cassius’ interests. ATT4CK, D3CAY, SUST4IN, REL3ASE are all named after the life of a sound, and aim to reflect the evolution of the America’s Cup sneaker. The title of each sneaker signifies its own distinct look and feel: the hard-edged, molded spikes of ATT4CK, sprayed with neon; the distressed leather of D3CAY, stripped and intentionally faded; the solid brights of SUST4IN, with overpainted white relief details; and the neon-spray finish of REL3ASE. All of the pieces are also marked with Cass’ signature, which each pair is sold in a co-branded Prada box, featuring the logo of Cassius Hirst – a scan of his brain.

Photo: Courtesy of Prada
The Cass x Prada collection is limited to 3,000 pairs globally, sold through select Prada boutiques and via Prada.com
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