Inside the Versace x Concepts JLo-Inspired Sneaker Collab — And How They Gave A Pair to the Megastar

Click here to read the full article.

Concepts teamed up with Versace on a Chain Reaction sneaker collaboration inspired by Jennifer Lopez’s famous plunging emerald green dress she wore to the 2000 Grammys. And the retail boutique confirmed that the megastar has a pair of her own.

“We gave her a pair Tuesday night when she was performing in Boston. She’s on tour and she’s promoting a new movie, so when she was in town I sent someone over to give them to her,” Concepts creative director Deon Point told FN. “I’m not sure when we’ll see them but she was pretty psyched, from what I could gather, that we did the shoe in homage to such an iconic moment in her life.”

More from Footwear News

• Jennifer Lopez Braves the NYC Heatwave in a Sweatsuit & Her Go-To Glittery Flip-Flops

• Jennifer Lopez Goes Incognito in a Camouflage Guess Outfit and Flip-Flops

• Jennifer Lopez's Iconic 2000 Grammys Dress Gets Turned Into a Versace Sneaker -- Here's How You Can Buy a Pair

According to Point, the idea came to him much like other classic Concepts collabs: a random thought followed by spending considerable time online researching it.

“I think Versace is synonymous with that dress. That was the first time I think the brand got global recognition. Obviously, they were around but that got so much love and then [later with the launch of] Google Images, I thought, ‘This is so cool,'” Point said. “I started going down a rabbit hole [online] and I decided to do it.”

The creative director continued, “About about a year and a half ago or a little longer, Salehe [Bembury], the footwear designer at Versace, and I talked about doing it. I just needed to figure out a way to fit in the Concepts aesthetic — it should be luxury or sport, the two lanes we stay in. Once I found that left lane I was like, ‘This is a go.’ And the JLo thing was cool because it was a huge moment in pop culture, it was 20 years ago to the year. So it made sense to do it now.”

Point confirmed that although there’s not much stock left, some pairs of the Chain Reaction collab are still available via Cncpts.com. The look is available in men’s and women’s sizing with a $1,075 retail price.

After the collaboration sells through, Point said Concepts would be open to another Versace shoe, although nothing is in the works yet.

“At the moment we’re just cooking. There are conversations in the works, but right now we’re focused entirely on this,” Point said. “We haven’t really gauged what the next project would look like. But we’re definitely open to coming up with ideas, for sure.”

Below, get career advice from Saucony president Anne Cavassa.

Want more?

Jennifer Lopez Goes Incognito in a Camouflage Guess Outfit and Flip-Flops

Jennifer Lopez Does Summer’s Biggest Sandal Trend But With an Elevated Twist

Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.