P448 has inked a new partnership deal with globally ranked skateboarder Yam Behar.
As part of the new deal, Behar will serve as a global ambassador for the Italian footwear brand as well as participate in campaigns and event appearances.
The 21-year-old Israeli skateboarder has also teamed up with the brand on a new capsule collection. Dubbed P448 x Yam, the first drop will launch this week featuring six unisex colorways of P448’s “Vert” style that ranges between neutral to loud neons to a Tel Aviv coastline-inspired faded blue.
In a statement on Wednesday, P448 said this latest partnership is part of its effort to “deepen its natural brand connection” to the skateboarding world following its tie up with Olympic skateboarder Bombette Martin.
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According to the footwear company, the new line of sneakers — which are affectionally called “Yams” by Behar and the P448 team — took months of tests, trials and feedback in order to come up with the final product. This resulted in the development of a new performance sole with high impact absorption and grip traction, P448 said.
“I wanted this shoe to say, ‘this is Yam,’” Behar said in a statement. “It was super important to me for the design to be a mirror of my likes, personality and background, yet incorporate exactly what a skate shoe should be, look and feel.”
The star skateboarder, who happens to have eight national titles and is highly anticipated to be a part of the Olympic team representing Israel in men’s skateboarding for the 2024 Paris Olympics, added that this partnership was “truly insane,” as they all worked together “so hard” to create what he feels is the “best skate shoe” around. “I couldn’t be more proud of the end result, as this journey has been the most exciting creative experience of my life,” Behar said.
Along with the release of the collection, P448 will also drop a docuseries on the skater, which will profile his bright career, vibrant lifestyle and his creative journey to bring the P448 x Yam capsule to market. It is slated to premiere in September during the rooftop launch event in Tel Aviv.
Wayne Kulkin, executive chairman of P448, said in a statement that he is “personally excited” about this project. “Not only is Yam a living beast in the [skate] park and competition, but he is an extremely creative, passionate, and wonderful human being,” Kulkin said. “It is motivation for the entire P448 design team to give Yam a vehicle to have the most technical skateboard shoe, with a unique design, to share with our P448 community, from skaters to working professionals to club goers. Having P448 be the vehicle for this project is simply a ton of fun.”
The new P448 x Yam capsule collection, which will retail for $305, will be available at P448.com and exclusive wholesale partners from Sept. 7.
