Tyler, the Creator is as credible a multi-hyphenate as they come, having traversed music, footwear design, creative direction and more.
Having worked with Vans, Converse, and now also Japanese label suicoke, the GOLF WANG front man has more than a few feathers in his cap. Whereas Tyler’s Vans designs seemed vary wildly from release to release (which is by no means a bad thing), the rapper seems to have hit his stride with Converse, launching his GOLF le FLEUR* range and finding a consistent aesthetic that is instantly recognizable as his.
With over 15 sneaker collaborations to his name and several other exciting projects on the horizon, such as the upcoming GOLF WANG x Lacoste collection, we have decided to take a look the top 10 Tyler, the Creator’s footwear collaborations, ranked from worst to best. Scroll through the list below to see how his designs stacks up against each other.
13. GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse One Star “Colorblock”
Although this is one of Tyler’s more recent designs, it sits at the bottom of our ranking because, well, one shoe has to. Coming in two colorways, this pack featured contrast stitching on a white leather upper with bright-colored midsoles. It’s not a bad look, per se, but it’s also not the artist’s best.
12. Tyler, the Creator x Vans Sk8-Hi “Camp Flog Gnaw” (2016)
In 2014, a friends and family Vans Authentic was gifted to performers at Tyler's Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. Two years later in 2016, an official release was slated between Vans and Tyler. The resulting Golf Wang x Vans collaboration took on a new approach on the Authentic, which was slightly more minimalist than his previous drops.
11. GOLF WANG x suicoke
The FW18 season brought with it Tyler, the Creator’s first-ever sandal collaboration with Suicoke. Two colorways of the KAW-CAB model featured oversized GOLF branding and a forefoot strap. This project just misses out on our top ten but shows that Tyler has his finger on the pulse, choosing to collaborate with an in-trend, technical sandal brand such as suicoke.
10. GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse “Reflective”
Similar to the aforementioned industrial-inspired One Star, Tyler dropped a metallic leather version of the same sneaker with reflective detailing, a first for the GOLF le FLEUR* One Star. Because of that, and the clean upper paired with a bright orange outsole, this collaboration cracks the top ten.
9. GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse “Two-Tone” (2018)
During summer 2018, Tyler the Creator and Converse brought out a pack of two-tone GOLF le FLEUR* One Stars. Each colorway featured a suede upper with contrast white stitching and contrasting overlays. While the light blue/pink colorway was arguably the most popular, all of these contrasting color combinations really hit the spot.
8. Odd Future x Vans “Donuts Pack” (2016)
In September 2016, Odd Future and Vans collaborated on a Donuts Pack which featured Odd Future’s signature pink sprinkle donut emblem over a bright teal canvas and suede uppers, with a matching shoe box for each pair. The donut logo is essentially synonymous with Odd Future, and this somewhat childish design takes us back to a past era of Tyler's footwear designs.
7. GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse One Star “Pride Month”
Celebrating Pride Month, Tyler, the Creator and Converse teamed up on a special-edition One Star that features a rainbow midsole. The upper is kept plain in white, which allows the midsole and its message, that of inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ community, to speak for itself.
6. GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse (2017)
Following on from his take on the One Star, Tyler, the Creator released an all-new footwear style that uses the One Star as a base. A staple in most rotations nowadays, his replacing of the star logo with a flower was a bold move back in 2016, when he debuted the sneakers at a runway show at Made LA. It cracks our top half of releases because of its significance in Tyler’s footwear design career.
5. GOLF WANG x Vans Syndicate Old Skool Pro “S” (2014)
This pack of Old Skool sneakers arrived in 2014, and was highlighted by a pink sole that aligned perfectly with Tyler and Odd Future’s unrestrained taste for graphics and colors. The classic Old Skool Pro “S” received the full Golf Wang treatment, arriving with baby blue, wheat and green uppers, supplemented by custom “Golf Wang” artwork on the tongue of the shoe.
4. GOLF WANG x Vans Syndicate Old Skool (2013)
Tyler’s Vans Old Skool drop in 2013 included four colorways – blue, black, wheat and red – kitted out with contrasting gum soles, suede uppers, an all-over kitty print on the insole and “Golf Wang” script on the back. Rounding things out, the shoes were also packaged in a special black shoebox with Tyler’s signature scrawlings on the exterior.
3. GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse Chuck 70 “Flames”
The above Chuck 70 represents one of Tyler, the Creator’s wildest designs to date. Previously experimenting more with different fabrics and materials, Tyler decides to stay true to the traditional canvas construction of the Converse Chuck 70 and instead adds a colorful flame graphic to the sneaker’s upper. The same flames have been featured in GOLF WANG’s in-house line many times, as well as on his Cherry Bomb album, however, this is the first time that one of his Converse sneakers features the pattern.
2. GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse “Pastel” (2018)
Only the second Converse collaboration to crack our top five, the pastel pack that dropped during SS18 remains one of Tyler’s best thus far. Geranium pink, green, and blue suede covered the uppers, while orange and white flower outsoles gave each colorway a fun design detail. The fact that the flower logo on the side is a slightly darker shade than the upper is a nice little touch. We’re big fans of this drop.
1. GOLF WANG x Vans Old Skool Collection (2015)
Tyler’s third collaboration with Vans came in 2015. This collaboration featured four different options, with three of the colorways showing off Vans’ signature checkerboard print. The fourth style featured the brand’s tri-color arrangement. A “Golf” wordmark was featured on the tongue of all four years. Mixing Tyler’s eye for flair with Vans’ iconic checkerboard pattern, this co-op release tops the list for us.
Honorable mentions
GOLF le FLEUR* x Converse “Grinch”
To commemorate Tyler, the Creator contributing two songs to the soundtrack of 2018’s The Grinch reboot, the rapper and Converse teamed up on a Grinch-themed GOLFE le FLEUR* One Star. The sneaker is dressed in a hairy green material on the upper and features a contrasting white midsole, laces, and branding on the tongue. The insole is red with co-branded detailing, while the heel features black embroidered Grinch-themed details. Unfortunately, this colorway never saw a public release.
GOLF WANG Chunky Sneakers
As part of GOLF WANG’s Winter 2018 lookbook, these chunky, ’00s skate-inspired sneakers were unveiled for the first time. None other than A$AP Rocky was wearing a pair in the accompanying video. Featuring an extra thick midsole, the sneaker’s busy upper features a number of overlayed panels, as well as a padded tongue (an old-school skate shoe staple). Converse branding can be seen on the forefoot section of the midsole, suggesting another collaborative effort. So far, though, they have not seen an official release.
For a bigger scoop of Tyler, the Creator, check the video below.
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