Italian designer Guiseppe Zanotti teamed up with hip-hop superstar Swae Lee to create a collaborative collection of men’s shoes, bending gender norms in a melding of luxury craftsmanship and contemporary edge. The range, titled “Giuseppe for Swae Lee”, features sleek glittery block heel boots, fierce suede loafers, and beautifully embellished sneakers, all of which launches worldwide on January 31st. 

An unexpected duo, Swae Lee expounds on his initial interest in working with Zanotti. “What got me excited about working with Giuseppe was his openness to truly collaborate on something fresh and new,” says Swae Lee, who was involved in every step of the process, down to reviewing prototypes with the designer in Paris last summer. “These shoes really reflect my creative POV, my eclectic approach to style and the idea that fashion doesn’t have to follow any rules.”

The collection is an eclectic blend of Swae’s trademarks and Zanotti’s signature styles. Striking embroidered streaks of blue lightning flash all over glittering boots, while the rapper’s favorite color, pink, provides a foundational color for a pair of showstopping canvas shoes. Floral motifs dominate several designs, making their way into low- and high-top iterations of the “Blabber” kicks as both rich embroidery and hand-painted embellishments. Standing out among each bold design, a new logo in graphic, oversized typeface and in gold lettering reading “GZ” appears on the side of both “Blabber” designs. A final statement, classic Zanotti crystal work finds a prominent place in the collection layered on suede loafers. 

“What drew me to Swae Lee is his fearlessness,” says Zanotti. “He’s able to straddle different worlds—tough and soft; luxury and street—effortlessly and naturally. He has an unbelievably authentic touch.”

Below, explore the full “Guiseppe for Swae Lee” collection.