Todd Snyder + PF Flyers’ Grounder Hi-Top

The latest from the ongoing collaboration combines military vibes with modern-day style

22 August 2016

The continuing collaboration between Todd Snyder and PF Flyers keeps growing from success to success—and with their latest addition, a refresh of the Grounder Hi-Top, an original style from 1949, it gets even better.

We have a lot of PF Flyer favorites at CH, and are excited to include the new Grounder Hi-Top, on that list. The update takes its cues from the original, down to the color and shape, and adds several new improvements. There’s a whole new Vulcanized sole that’s rugged and great for wet weather wear that’s more modern than previous reissues. Leather now lines the inside and is on the back of the shoe, making it feel (and look) more premium. 14 oz. military spec’d canvas increases durability. Flat laces, a first for the Grounder, along with gunmetal eyelets and an embroidered patch complete the look. The new Todd Snyder + PF Flyers Grounder Hi-Top, is available in the original green with the black sole and the seductive all black version, which skews a little more fashion, a little more rocker.

Comfy and lightweight, they’re perfect for summer adventures, but with the generous rubber outsole and heavyweight canvas, these sneakers are sure to be a hit when the cooler and wetter months of fall appear.

We met up with Todd, who walked us through the shoe and his ongoing collaboration with PF Flyers. The origin of the Grounder collaboration was unplanned. “I was in Boston and I popped by (the PF Flyers office) to say hi. There were all of these old catalogs there…and I start looking through them…and I’m like oh my god, they had silhouettes they created before Sperry existed, before Nike existed, before Adidas existed. They were established in1937 and have stuff in the archives that is insane. I had no clue. I knew they made basketball sneakers. When I saw this I said ‘this is sick!’” Todd knew then and there that this was something that would work really well with a fresh look.

Todd Snyder is perhaps one of the best designer collaborators, with many successful partnerships. We asked him why he thinks he’s been able to do so many, so well. “You have to check your ego. That’s the thing. You need to check your ego at the door,” he says. He adds, “I’m very involved from start to finish. I work really well with creatives, with production. I know what’s realistic. I appreciate what goes into these things. When I see a guy or girl on the floor making something I’m so like omg that’s amazing. Someone is making this by hand but people think it just pops out of a machine. So you kind of appreciate the process as well, when you are talking about the details you are being realistic about it. You’re pushing things far enough so they look like they are new but you are being realistic with the process.”