In the lexicon of “boy-meets-girl” romances, there is one love rarely explored: our love of shoes (foot fetishes notwithstanding). We also love nothing more than a Black fashion moment, so the long-awaited release of the collaboration between two of our favorite labels—Brother Vellies and Pyer Moss—which walked the runway during Pyer Moss’ epic presentation at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre in September 2019 is the pick-me-up we so desperately need in a very dark year.
Granted, it’s been over a year since we first caught a glimpse of this collaboration. But our interest was once again piqued when Zendaya appeared in the September 2020 cover story for InStyle, stalking across a rooftop in a tunic and matching boots printed with vibrant artwork by recently exonerated artist Richard Phillips. Per Pyer Moss, “the styles pay homage to the creativity, strength, and attitude of the Godmother of Rock-n-Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe”—giving new meaning to the phrase “paint it Black.”
Those boots are the hero piece of a collection which includes color-blocked, winged stilettos, tidy, rock-and-roll-ready Chelsea boots, and high-heeled sock booties emblazoned with the Pyer Moss logo (to let ‘em know who got you on the good foot). And while we’d never recommend reckless spending (who are we kidding—pandemic retail therapy is real) should you have the discretionary budget (or just feel inclined to treat yourself, which, given the year we’ve had thus far, no judgments), the Brother Vellies by Pyer Moss will be available on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 12 pm ET.
Updated: Thursday, October 22 at 4:20 p.m., ET: “Your Friends in New York”—also known as Pyer Moss—reached out to give us a little more intel on its collaboration with Brother Vellies, which they suggest is just the first of what we hope are many more to come, and will debut on both sites on Saturday at noon. They also graced us with photos of the entire collection, which you can see in our slideshow below.
From the label:
The men’s and women’s footwear collections are part of Pyer Moss Collection 3 which debuted during Pyer Moss’ iconic Kings Theater runway show. The Collection 3 apparel, released earlier this month, is the culmination of “American, Also.” a three-part series created to tell the often-untold stories of Black peoples’ contributions to popular American culture.
Collection 3 celebrates Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Black woman who invented Rock ‘N’ Roll. Several of the Collection 3 pieces, including the Brother Vellies by Pyer Moss women’s boot, infuses artwork by recently exonerated artist Richard Phillips. The custom artwork commemorates Tharpe’s immeasurable contributions to music.
“I am proud of what my friend Aurora and I created,” said Jean-Raymond in a statement. “Collection 3 was partly inspired by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and other Black women in music so honoring their contributions by collaborating with Brother Vellies felt like home.”