Italian sportswear brand Diadora has recently teamed up with not just one but two popular entities—American rapper Raekwon and American shoe company Packer. This is one powerful collaboration because all three names are known in their own fields. This isn’t exactly the first as in 2015, the three already teamed up to the come up with the “Purple Tape” N.9000.
That was the first pair from the trio. It was a special collaboration in celebration of The Chef’s album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’s 20th anniversary. The iconic album was the inspiration for the original colorway. This time, a second iteration has been designed as a result of another collab among three.
Celebrating ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’s 25th Year
For Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’s 25th Anniversary and N.9000’s 30th anniversary, a new colorway is ready once again. This pair is a follow-up to the 2015 version. You can say it’s a redesigned model.
Officially called as the “Purple Tape” N.9000, this Raekwon-Packer-Diadora-designed pair can be everything to the fans. Packer will start selling the shoes today, December 23, on its webstore. Price tag reads $250.
Classic Colors, Old Design Reimagined
The pair is similar in design from the 2015 version but comes with some tweaks. There is a black mesh toebox surrounded by black suede mudguard on the upper. The overlay shows black pony hair coming up from the midsole, underneath is a yellow midfoot strike that has become the signature of N.9000, as well, as some red perforated leather.
The eyestays are set in red suede. A violet ‘1995’ is embroidered on the heel counter. The heels are a mix of leather and suede. The midsoles show black and red with purple insoles that show the tracklist of the album.
The red tongue shows the co-branded tag of the three names. To complete the look, a semi-translucent plastic case is offered as storage for the Raekwon Packer X Diadora N.9000 “CUBAN LINX” 2021 version.