Just when you thought the boat shoe had done enough for one lifetime, Jacquemus x Timberland is back for round two.
The French fashion house reunites with Timberland to give its Authentic Boat Shoe another makeover, this time with crocodile-effect leather, navy blue and chocolate brown. The price? €320. Timberland’s standard Authentic Boat Shoe sits around €200, making this a €120 jump for the crocodile-effect finish and Jacquemus branding.
JACQUEMUS X TIMBERLAND: BOAT SHOES, WITH A JACQUEMUS TWIST
Following last year’s collaboration, which introduced the classic three-eye boat shoe in banana yellow and a bright blue that had everyone thinking of Tiffany’s, the two brands are back with something a little more restrained. The new edition comes in two colourways: Navy Croc and Brown Croc, with the brown pair finished with butter-yellow laces.
The familiar silhouette stays intact, including Timberland’s chunky rubber outsole and hand-sewn construction. The difference is in the texture. Crocodile-inspired embossing covers the sides of both versions, while the navy pair takes it further with the pattern extending across the upper. Metal Jacquemus branding and custom aglets finish the design.
Jacquemus x Timberland now is a more grown-up take on the previous release, trading the bright colours for something closer to classic luxury footwear. Whether that makes it €120 better than the original is another question.
NO AI-GENERATED CIRCUS HERE
The campaign, meanwhile, is having a lot more fun. Instead of the usual close-ups of expensive leather and moody studio lighting, we get a group of performers doing acrobatic tricks on a seesaw in an autumnal park. It’s physical, slightly absurd and genuinely entertaining.
There’s something refreshing about seeing a fashion campaign built around actual human skill. No need to generate a surreal circus with AI when you can just cast performers who know what they’re doing. The images put the focus on movement, balance and the people behind the spectacle, giving the shoes a setting that’s a little unexpected for a luxury collaboration.
It’s also a fitting match for Jacquemus, a brand that has built much of its identity around playful imagery and campaigns that don’t always take the conventional route. Timberland brings the heritage; Jacquemus brings the visual chaos.
ANOTHER ROUND?
Timberland’s Authentic Boat Shoe has been around since 1978, long before it became a fashion collaboration waiting to happen. Jacquemus has now revisited the silhouette twice, first with the bright yellow and blue edition and now with these crocodile-effect versions. The formula is simple: take a recognisable classic, change the colour or finish, and give it a new context.
At €320, the Jacquemus x Timberland pair sits firmly in designer-collaboration territory. The silhouette itself isn’t new, but the crocodile-effect finish and Jacquemus details give the classic boat shoe a different look. Compared with Timberland’s standard €200 version, that’s a €120 difference for a more fashion-forward take on the original. Whether it’s worth it is another question. Personally, the campaign might have sold me faster than the shoes.
