K-Swiss’ Collab With Coolhaus Ice Cream Comes With Sprinkles on the Soles and an Inspiring Story
FN caught up with Coolhaus Ice Cream CEO and co-founder Natasha Case in Los Angeles last night to chat about the brand’s collaboration with K-Swiss — an apt partnership that aligns with the sneaker label’s focus on highlighting entrepreneurs as the new celebrities.
The shoe, which releases Monday on Kswiss.com, features a classic white leather upper, lace-up design and a pink and blue semiopaque sprinkle sole. On the heel tab, “200 Miles” is written in hot-pink lettering, referencing Case’s 200-mile trek after her truck broke down en route to Coachella, but her perseverance helped catapult Coolhaus to success. Now Case is celebrating her 10-year anniversary, which is emblazoned on the shoe’s tongue.
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A post shared by COOLHAUS (@coolhaus) on Apr 16, 2019 at 11:10am PDT
On her partnership with K-Swiss:
“It was a very very strong partnership from the get-go. I felt like they really wanted to hear my thoughts and understand the story and embed themselves in the brand as much as possible.”
How the shoe came together:
“We wanted the shoe to have a specific food reference, and doing that is very, very tricky. We don’t want to hit you over the head with food on the shoe, so we started exploring what are all the different materials and possibilities and looks and feels, and how far can we push this while still making something wearable and feel comfortable — not like they’re wearing promo material for a brand.”
Key features of the sneaker:
“We came across, not only the sprinkle but the semiopaque sole, which also feels kind of frosted and cold, so it was a way to alluding to the texture and making the connection without it being too obvious or dumbed-down.”
How Coolhaus started with a broken truck and Coachella:
“We needed to get to Coachella, and we figured out that if we joined Triple-A Platinum, we got one free 200-mile tow, so the day that Coachella came, we pretended the truck broke down and they towed us out there, and that is how we started the brand.”
Advice for other aspiring female entrepreneurs:
“Think really big and be very specific about that vision. What do you want in two and five and 10 years? What is it going to mean to you from a business level and also, especially as women, on a personal level? I think as women, sometimes we forget to include ourselves. Like, what are our goals, and how do we make sure this is something we can still feel passionate about as we work our buts off to grow our businesses?”
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Charlie Carballo contributed to this story.
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