The story begins in New York City. In the early 1990s, Slam Jam founder Luca Benini experienced firsthand the city's unique intersection of music, style and culture. Hip-hop, workwear, public housing, graffiti and urban subcultures gave rise to a constantly evolving visual language, shaped by communities actively engaging with the city's energy and contradictions.
The Timberland boot was everywhere, yet in New York it carried a meaning that differed sharply from its perception in Italy. In the late 1980s, Italy saw the emergence of the Paninari, a youth movement drawn to imported brands and a lifestyle centred on leisure, consumption and aspiration. Clothing became an expression of a new cultural mood, one that marked a departure from the political intensity of the previous decade.
New Yorkers made the boot their own, turning a rugged New England workwear essential into a cultural symbol of resilience and authenticity. His love for Timberland began in New York. Nearly forty years (four decades) later, Slam Jam has established a unique position within the contemporary street culture landscape. By selecting iconic pieces whose cultural significance was forged through collective adoption, each reissue continues to celebrate products for the communities that embraced them and the cultural narratives they came to represent.
The Slam Jam x Timberland campaign, a tribute to the legacy of the Timbs through Slam Jam’s Perspective, is shot by Kennedi Carter, the Virginia-born North Carolina raised photographer and visual artist known for her aesthetics with particular attention to intimacy, embodiment and community, to portraiture, with Wikset as its star. New York-born rapper, founding member of the underground hip-hop group Ratking, he is currently a defining voice in East Coast Rap. His single “Park” can be heard throughout the video, and it is an ode to all parks in NYC. It’s where everybody hangs out, giving shape to everything they want: from alternative poetry sessions to skate brands and competitions. Fittingly, Slam Jam’s NYC embassy stands only a short distance from Tompkins Park, which is a location referenced in the song.
The Timberland® x Slam Jam Heritage 6-Inch Waterproof Boot reimagines the iconic silhouette through Slam Jam's lens. The upper features both brands' logos engraved on the lateral side, while a silver chain carries a leather tag showcasing Slam Jam's signature with the upside-down "A". Two sets of laces, in black and smoked pearl, complete the design. Available this fall exclusively on Slam Jam and Timberland’s channels.
Timberland
Slam Jam 6-Inch Waterproof Boots Wheat
