Burton Snowboards’ love affair with shoes holds steady.
In past winter seasons, the company has partnered with a select group of footwear brands to produce technical snowboard boots. Burton’s fall ’15 collection is no different, boasting collaborations with Red Wing Shoes, Diemme, Frye and L.A.M.B.
“Burton has had the pleasure and honor of working with leaders [in footwear] and brands that bring something to the Burton table that we couldn’t do on our own,” said Greg Dacyshyn, chief creative officer for Burton Snowboards.
Here, Dacyshyn explains what makes the partnerships so special.
1. Tell us about your fall ’15 collaborations.
GD: In past years, most of the brands we worked with happened organically — as with Red Wing Shoes. When someone speaks of heritage, Red Wing is the picture of it. We are also continuing to partner with Diemme out of Italy. They have traditionally worked on fishing and hunting and have transcended into fashion, which has resonated with me. Frye is another example of a heritage brand that was great to work with on this collaboration. The brand’s Campus boot [is what] we at Burton based next year’s boot around. We took a year off with L.A.M.B. and came back again for fall ’15. Gwen Stefani is an incredible talent with a great sense of style. She has a strong perspective of where she wants things to go, which is great for Burton and takes us in a different direction that perhaps we wouldn’t choose on our own.
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2. How do you pick your partners?
GD: I don’t make an active notion to seek them out, but when you get to meet up and have a good chemistry with people, [it happens]. Hopefully in those cases, they are aware of the Burton brand and respect what we do. First and foremost, the collaborations result in great product. I’d like to think that Burton is a leader in design — not just in snowboarding.
3. When do you start the planning process for your collabs?
GD: We work quite far out — on most projects, usually 18 months from sales samples. However, collaborations generally happen fast and furious, and they happen when they happen. I try not to let traditional timelines dictate things and instead let the product come to market as soon as possible. If you’re excited about something, why wait two years for it to happen?
4. Where will you distribute boots?
GD: Distribution is on a case-by-case basis. For the most part, with boots, we have great distribution, both within specialty and big-box retailers. We handle all distribution for the most part, other than some brands having the pieces in their own flagships and brick-and-mortar stores. Some product is open distribution and some is very much specialty — it depends on the nature of the product.
5. What’s your personal favorite from the fall ’15 collection?
GD: I will be wearing the Diemme boot. I’m a huge fan of that hiking aesthetic, with leather and traditional laces. I’m an old-school dude.
