Menswear’s Favorite Newsletter Is Releasing the Perfect Versatile Hiking Boot for Fall

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Blackbird Spyplane — the newsletter with an ardent following among fashion enthusiasts and aesthetes — has announced a rare footwear collaboration.

The Blackbird Spyplane x Oboz Sawtooth 2 Low , aka the “Swagtooth” Low, has been given a “Purple Earth” makeover with oiled suede forming the majority of the waterproof upper. Brown mesh fills in the gaps throughout the hiking boot, which Blackbird Spyplane says in its trademark voice has been “engineered for unbeatable all-day comfort and Mach 7+ swag enhancement.”

Oboz’s Sawtooth 2 Low has been mentioned previously in Blackbird Spyplane’s newsletters, beginning with a callout in spring 2023 when co-founders Jonah Weiner Erin Wylie saw the boot during a hike in the Bay area and called it a “confirmed REI regs slapper” with “ovoid bulbousness” and “friendly insectoid mesh ventilation peekaboo cutouts.” A designer then reached out to Blackbird Spyplane for a collaboration, which also includes a new yin-yang symbol-embossed tag hanging near the collar.

Blackbird Spyplane’s only other footwear collaboration came in 2022, when it partnered with the Finish brand Tarvas Footwear on a Explorer hiking and walking shoe made from beeswax-treated canvas and Italian hairy suede.

Oboz is based out of Bozeman, Montana and its name is a portmanteau of its home base and “outside.” In 2021, it introduced its first major change to the popular Sawtooth franchise with the Sawtooth X, which features a more modern look and tech updates that include True Tread outsoles with multidirectional lugs and teeth, as well as proprietary Act+ foam midsoles made with a proprietary dual density rubberized EVA compound. The Sawtooth 2 Low, launched in 2019 with more subtle changes, had been the only other update for the franchise that originally released in 2011.

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John Connelly, who founded Oboz in 2007, passed away in August after years of battling various cancers. Oboz president Amy Beck said in a statement: “John was a visionary, the ultimate non-conformist and a forever optimist. “He will always be a part of Oboz, from devising our name to our commitment to community, trees and this beautiful place that we get to call home.”

The Blackbird Spyplane x Oboz Sawtooth II Low will release during the first week of October through Oboz’s website, as well as the retailers Colbo, Neighbor, Nitty Gritty, Stand Up Comedy and Understory. Pricing for the boots is set at $175.

Shop Oboz Sawtooth 2 Low Shoes

About the Author:

Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.

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