Two days since the publication of Spare and one feeling unites the country: sweet nostalgia for a time the Royal Family didn’t drop headline-hitting bombshells on the daily.
Enter designer Jonathan Anderson, who has teased his upcoming menswear collection with a collaboration straight out of Prince Harry and William’s wardrobe circa 1987. JW Anderson x Wellipets is 2023’s first unlikely fashion collaboration.
If you were a child post 1983, when the boot manufacturer was founded, it is likely you may once have owned a pair of the brand’s googly-eyed frog wellies. I have vague recollections of undoubtedly chic snow days spent in mine. Exciting news then for brand fans, that an opportunity to buy the wellies in adult sizes may just be on the horizon.
The updated version come pretty much as you remember them, with the grinning red mouth and yellow-painted eyes remaining the shoe’s USP. In a step away from the originals, however, the fashion edition come in Anderson’s popular mule silhouette, and with the sought-after anchor logo.
JW Anderson’s full autumn winter 2023 men’s runway, where the amphibian-chic slip-ons are to be debuted, is scheduled for Sunday night (January 15) in Milan. Enthusiasts can hope for more variations of the JWA x Wellipet line to come then. Depending on the depth of archive research, this could mean lady bird, duck, and bee style booties hitting the catwalk.
Anderson, who is also creative director of Spanish label Loewe, has long had a penchant for a quirky shoe. In recent seasons, his out-the-box Loewe footwear has included, but not been limited to: balloon pumps, grass trainers, ‘naked’ jelly shoes and egg shell stilettos.
The Northern Irish designer is also a partial to a pre-show teaser. For his autumn winter collection last year, it was a picture of a pidgeon clutch which grabbed the internet’s attention, and duly acquired It-bag status under the arm of Sarah Jessica Parker playing Carrie Bradshaw.
Wellipets, who have a modest Instagram following of 1.8k, are probably hoping for a similar effect. While their frog boots are currently only available in children’s sizes (£65 - £75, here), the website promises women’s sizes 4-8 will hit shelves in the first quarter of 2023, while a men’s range will follow suit later this year.
As for A-list support, there is already a queue. Sam Smith commented “SCREAMING” on Anderson’s Instagram unveiling, and Erykah Badu said “Need”. We can only hope Sienna Miller buys the froggy slips for Glasto, and a pair has already been shipped to Montecio. Surely this is the chicken feeding footwear fit for a Prince?
