To ring in their first anniversary, California based BAIT is dropping a special mockup of the Onitsuka Tiger Colorado 85 designed by Colorado natives, Akomplice. BAIT has long-been a staunch supporter of the Onitsuka Tiger and the Colorado 85 model in particular. When BAIT was afforded the opportunity to collaborate on the model they found it fitting to reach out to Akomplice, who hails from Colorado. Brothers, brand architects and natives of Colorado, Mike and Patrick Liberty were more than willing to infuse their Rocky Mountain roots into the Onitsuka Tiger model that bears their state’s name. The collaborative design is ripe with details that relate to Akomplice’s origins starting with the name 6,200 FT, which is the exact elevation of Mike and Patrick’s hometown of Carbondale, Colorado. The kick also sports braided hiking laces and reinforced ripstop panels, which are always apropos when drawing inspiration from the Rocky Mountains. The nods to Colorado continue to the color schematic of red, white, blue and yellow, which match the state flag and are representative of Colorado’s environmental features. Blue symbolizes clear blue Rocky Mountain skies, gold acknowledges the abundant Colorado sunshine, red represents Colorado’s red soil, and white symbolizes the snow on the mountains. The visual cues to the ski slopes of Colorado are not limited to the surface. Within the shoe, a ski map has been emblazoned on the in-sole and reappears on the back of the hangtag, which doubles as a lift ticket.
Akomplice’s foray into sneaker design is also BAIT’s most limited release to date, numbering just 504 pairs. The limited edition collaborative shoe will release in-store and online to coincide with BAIT’s 1 year anniversary party on Saturday, October 19th. If you’re looking to grab a pair, make sure to stop by BAIT in Diamond Bar, CA between October 14th-17th to secure a reservation ticket, which guarantees the right to purchase on 19th. If you’re not in the west coast, fear not, you can register on BAITme.com for a chance to get an email invitation to buy the shoes on BAITme.com. The Colorado Eighty-Five “6,200 FT” will be retailing at $109.99.