There's never a bad time to get familiar with Song for the Mute, the low-key Australian label that began back in 2010. Over the past decade and change, the Australian brand has reframed its ethos and shifted styles without losing its inherent focus on craft.
Overseen by Melvin Tanaya and Lyna Ty, Song for the Mute went from its early days of edgy avant styling to a more louche post-streetwear look. There's still some of that old-school styling in its current fare — a bit of distressing here, some dangling drawstrings there — but SFTM, as its fans call it, is a different animal these days.
This stylistic evolution is perhaps best epitomized by SFTM's debut adidas collaboration, initially dropping August 26 on adidas' CONFIRMED app.
Song for the Mute opted to take on the retro-inspired Shadowturf sneaker, with this collaborative edition named the "SFTM-001" in Honeycomb.
At first blush, it looks quite similar to the Shadowturf colorways that emerged when the silhouette debuted in late February 2022.
Dig a little deeper, though, and the details emerge — quintessential Song for the Mute.
Notice the aberrant stitching that peppers the SFTM-001 Shadowturf's beige, white, and grey upper, seven dots (a brand signature) on the sneaker's heel, the hand-scrawled SFTM-001 print that graces a suede panel on the shoe's exterior.
These are the low-key touches that distinguish a Song for the Mute sneaker from a typical footwear collab.
After the SFTM-001 Shadowturf drops on August 26, a full Song for the Mute x adidas apparel collection and additional sneaker colorways will launch in September, deepening the brands' relationship.
The adidas team-up is an extension of SFTM's FW22 collection, which carries a typically evocative name ("Les Olympiades," this time). Alongside the '90s-inspired washed denim, tie-dyed fleece, and crocheted anoraks, the SFTM-001 Shadowturf is a natural fit.
It, frankly, has OAMC x adidas vibes in the best possible way: an old-school feel updated for contemporary tastes, a delicious retro aesthetic updated with futuristic adiPrene tech and a cutting edge colorway.
This is the Song for the Mute way and there's plenty more where that came from.
