Everything You Need to Know About the Penfield x Saucony Collaboration

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Saucony and Penfield are two brands with serious heritage, and they've actually known each other for quite some time. It's not because both brands have ties to Massachusetts — where Saucony is currently located and the birthplace of Penfield — but because they met more than a decade ago. "We were first introduced to Mark Ash from Saucony Europe in 2013," Allnutt said. "We wanted to work on a footwear collaboration for some time but it needed to be with the right partner and we were happy to wait for the right opportunity to come along."

Like previously stated, Penfield and Saucony both have strong connections to Massachusetts, as do a litany of brands with serious history in the garment and footwear industries. As one would expect, it was a good feeling for the two brands to connect for this collaboration. "It was a great opportunity and made sense on so many levels," Allnutt said. "We really understand and respect each other’s history, and that’s what was so appealing to us from the first conversation."

Some collaborations happen instantly and others can take quite awhile to finish. It all depends on the individual project. Luckily, however, once Penfield and Saucony began working together, the sneakers were put together in a fast manner. "Aside from the usual factory timings etc. the design time was relatively swift, I would say around a month from initial sketches to full-spec drawings," Allnutt said. "We both understood the concept and aesthetic from the initial meetings."

2014 has been a big year for Saucony Originals. The brand has seen the reinterpretation of several of its older silhouettes: the Shadow 5000, Shadow 6000, and Grid 9000. The Shadow Original, one of the sneakers that started it all for the brand, has been collaborated on, too, and there's a reason why Penfield wanted to make this its silhouette of choice.

"We looked at the whole Originals line and quickly decided that the Shadow Original would be the right profile.  We wanted to make sure the model we chose had enough detailing to translate the idea of a sneaker with outdoor references," Allnutt explained. "We also didn’t want to look over-technical which is the beauty of the Shadow Original, it has a classic look with just the right amount of features to carry the idea of the project."

Not every collaboration needs a complex theme on how the shop was inspired by a deli that used to be in its building over 40 years ago. Don't get us wrong, we appreciate a good yarn, but Penfield and Saucony's collaboration is cool because it's straight-forward and makes sense.

"Both brands are fortunate to have a rich archive, so it was very simple to conceptualize the idea and design. It was paramount that the final product had both brands' DNA at its core," Allnutt said. "The design had to fit with both our current collections and be something that people can wear everyday. So really the inspiration came from a joint history of making classic wearable products."

 Often, when a sneaker brand and a clothing line work together, they try to create something as close to the brand's fabric as possible. In this case, though, Saucony took Penfield's actual 60/40 fabric and put it on the Shadow Original. Doing so can be a tricky thing, and Penfield ensured that it was done the right way.

"Taking an outerwear fabric in to other product groups is something we do quite regularly, but not to this extent," Allnutt said. "60/40 is a fantastic fabric with great performance properties, but we wanted to make sure it could translate to footwear, so we worked closely with the Saucony development team to make sure the fabric was thoroughly tested and backed to keeps its shape, and stand up to the rigors of use within a shoe."

When a collaboration occurs, it's unclear how much back and forth communication there is between the two collaborators. With Penfield x Saucony, Penfield wanted colorways that had a connection with the company's current offerings. "We had a very clear vision of the colors we wanted to incorporate," Allnutt said. "All the colorways tie in with our current collection including the pop colors and all have the look and aesthetic of the classic outdoors, something that is key in our seasonal outerwear palette."

When a brand takes an original silhouette and reworks it, there's often hesitation that it will do too much to the integrity of the sneaker. Fortunately for fans of Saucony, Penfield didn't go overboard when working on its collab. 

"It was important to us that we didn’t over-work the Shadow Original with unnecessary features," Allnutt said. "We replaced the top lace holes with walking boot lace loops that are finished to match the color of the shoe, we also worked with Saucony to develop a flecked version of their classic Marshmallow EVA midsole."

The release date for this collection is Saturday, November 29, in-store at select Saucony Originals retailers. It'll be available online on Tuesday, December 2. Retail is £95 or roughly $150.