Westside Gunn has given fans a glimpse into the very beginning stages of his journey of breaking into the footwear industry.
In a post he shared to Instagram on Wednesday (October 9), the Griselda rap mastermind announced he is in the midst of working with Saucony to deliver his own sneaker. Though he remained tight-lipped about the details of the silhouette of the sneaker, and the expected arrival of his first-ever shoe, he made up for it by offering his fans and followers with a barrage of images and video of the hands-on approach he’s taking to the development of the product.
“FIRST DAY IN THE OFFICE @saucony,” Westside Gunn wrote in part.
“I’m proud to announce I’m OFFICIALLY dropping my first sneaker!!!!” he wrote. “This is a dream come true and I just wanna thank y’all so much for believing in my ART thank u @jaetips for opening the door and inspiring me I’m a keep pushing the culture fwd..”
As Westside Gunn continued in the caption of the post, he proceeded to make a big bet on himself in anticipation of the arrival of the final product.
“Also thank u to the staff for believing in my vision and treating me like a Day 1 I won’t disappoint,” he wrote. “BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING and I just wanna let y’all know GOD IS THE GREATEST and y’all support is wats keeping me going, I’ll put my 800k followers against somebody’s 10M anyday, Love y’all now let’s make some of the flyest kicks ever – #SUPERFLYGOD.”
Prior to joining the fold over at Saucony, Westside Gunn praised the brand for their innovative releases this year and even credited New York-bred designer Jae Tips and his “To-Do List” collection as a major source of inspiration. In the same sort of way Tips infused his Bronx flare into the collection, Westside Gunn appears to be interweaving the DNA of his Griselda brand into his project. Along with clips of himself diligently going through fabric samples, the Pray For Paris lyricist showed images of what appears to be a Saucony logo emblazoned with the Griselda insignia.
Check out the post above to see video of Westside Gunn working with Saucony’s design team in the early developmental stages of his sneaker’s production.
