Salehe Bembury Unveils His Own Sneaker Brand SPUNGE

After years of lending his creative genius to other brands, designer Salehe Bembury is now charting a new course with his own label. Introducing Spunge. Along with announcing the brand’s name, he also debuted its first model, called the Osmosis, which is Bembury’s “signature organic take on a performance-lifestyle silhouette.” The Osmosis features a breathable upper with a durable, tactical, hiking vibe that fully embraces GORP core. Upholding the shoe is a sole made of what’s being called Squish Tech, with a hole-filled design that resembles a sponge. The product page describes the technology as an “encapsulated proprietary foam wrapped in an engineered stability cage, allowing the wearer to both distribute energy evenly through the eye-catching SQUISH TECH domes, while maintaining maximum stability via the interaction between the two elements.”

Source: Spunge / Spunge

Other features that make the Osmosis all-terrain ready include an OrthoLite sockliner and strobel, a moisture-wicking lining, laces dipped in silicone, and scratch rubber toe caps. Bembury is known for the signature work he’s done with Crocs, New Balance, and even Tyrese Haliburton’s signature Puma, but with this new venture, he’s able to create with no boundaries. “I’ve been working as a footwear designer for 15-plus years. My collective experiences as both designer and collaborator allowed me to realize I need to have full agency over my vision to achieve the ambitious goals that I’ve set for myself,” Bembury said in a press release. “The only way to do that was to create my own footwear brand. Spunge is the vehicle that enables me to create on my terms, with my own unique output.”

Source: Spunge / Spunge

You can enter the draw for the earthy kicks today —with winners announced Monday—on the Be A Spunge website. The first drop includes four colorways: the Yukon (Brown / Mustard / Yellow), Slaw (Purple / Green / Yellow), Mung (Green / Tan / Orange), and Malawi (Blue / Light Blue / Orange). They’re all priced at $150 and, according to Footwear News, launch events are scheduled for Dover Street Market London, Kith NYC, A Ma Maniere Atlanta, and ComplexCon Las Vegas, before the global launch on November 15. Get a better look at the sneakers below.