A Summer To Remember for Stylish Fishermen
For over two decades, SOUTH2 WEST8 has remained resolute in its pursuit of a single mission.
This outdoorsy Japanese label has been relentlessly reimagining the wardrobe of the fisherman. Specifically, it has concentrated its focus on the Japanese fly-fishing method of Tenkara.
From its earliest collections to its most recent Spring/Summer 2025 offerings, you find utilitarian deep-pocketed fisherman vests or nifty self-belting twill pants dominating SOUTH2 WEST8’s offerings. However, this season is distinct from those past.
SOUTH2 WEST8 is on a roll this season, spitting out brilliant collaborations at an unprecedented rate. And we’re still only halfway through summer.
Oakley Factory Team sneakers are the latest collaborative products to join the pack. The Flesh Sandal, a techy sneaker with a sock-like upper and wavy midsole, gets a camouflage mesh makeover.
It’s a utilitarian slip-on shoe infused with the outdoorsy sensibilities of SOUTH2 WEST8, a description that can also apply to its recent Reebok footwear.
Released only three weeks prior to its debut Oakley Factory Team link-up, regular collaborator Reebok combined with SOUTH2 WEST8 for a cozy mule equipped with Reebok’s signature Instapump technology and puffy Primaloft insulation.
Looking for something similarly functional but open-toed? SOUTH2 WEST8’s got that covered, too. You only have to wind the clock back to late May, and you find its tie-dyed Suicoke sandals.
It’s not that SOUTH2 WEST8 rarely does collaborations, its most famous partnership came by the way of Supreme a few years ago, but three slip-on shoes in a single summer signal a heightened focus on fashionable partnerships. Especially when you start to consider the clothes it has simultaneously been dropping.
Brain Dead, one-half of the duo behind Oakley Factory Team, added some trippy West Coast flavor to its fly fishing equipment in May. That came hot on the heels of a three-part collaboration with Kith and Columbia Sportswear.
The retailer at the forefront of modern-day sneaker culture, one of LA’s most celebrated streetwear labels, a footwear project that’s suddenly made Oakley sneakers cool… Yeah, that’s a pretty impressive collaboration roster for a single season. SOUTH2 WEST8 is on a tear.
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