Everything You Need to Know About the Overkill x KangaROOS "Craftsman Champions" Pack

Not too long ago, Germany's Overkill released the "Grape Pack," a two sneaker pack with KangaROOS on the brand's Coil R1 silhouette. Both options in the collection were handmade in Germany and made from high-quality leather. That was Overkill's second collab with ROOS after 2013's "Abyss" Coil R1.

Now, Overkill is back with another two-sneaker pack, the "Craftsman Champions," and we reached out to Overkill CEO Marc Leuschner to once again get a better understanding of the shop's work.

To find out some behind the scenes information, check out Everything You Need to Know About the Overkill x KangaROOS "Craftsman Champions" Pack.

Overkill has collaborated with KangaROOS twice before, but both projects were on the Coil R1, a '90s runner. On its third collab with ROOS, Overkill chose a different sneaker: the Ultimate. This is why the shop proceeded to switch things up. "The Ultimate silhouette originates from the already known model from earlier times but is a completely new silhouette, its midsole its referred to as 'the ground' and was designed and produced from scratch," Leuschner said. "This new sole shape is also being used for further running models such as the Future. For us, the Ultimate was a fresh challenge, a change, providing different details and options to consider in the design process."

There are an abundance of collaborations on the market, and what makes them special are the stories behind them. With the "Grape Pack" already being released, Overkill needed to do something that would be different than the previous release. "Our main focus in the design process was to clearly reflect the fact that shoe was a 'Made in Germany' product. We wanted to bring attention to the fact that there are still quality handmade manufactured products out there," Leuschner said. "Therefore, the tongue label incorporates the KangaROOS logo made up with the German national flag colors. Adjacent to this is a refined, embroidered Overkill logo on the heel as well as branded lace tags and lace ends."

Beyond their design details, people tend to gravitate towards collaborative efforts because of how few pairs of them are made. As for the "Craftsman Champions" pack, "There are 100 pairs of both the grey and blue Ultimate that are all individually numbered," Leuschner said.

Some thinking follows the idea that the cleaner the sneaker, the better. For runners, however, there usually is some branding. Besides the tongue tag, the Overkill x KangaROOS Ultimate is missing ROOS' infamous stripe. "This design element was deliberately left out as we wanted to keep the shoe very classic, clean and discreet without including too many elements," Leuschner said. "Added to that, It has also not existed in this way before. We, along with KangaROOS, wanted to break new ground with the design and explore more options."

For those keeping score, this collection is somewhat similar to the "Grape Pack," but there are noticeable difference between the two. "The major difference between the two projects is that the "Craftsman Champions“ pack is focused more on the history of the production of the shoe. By visiting the factory and using the accompanied imagery we wanted to communicate all stages of production," Leuschner said. "The story behind the production and the people who work on these hand-made beauties are the main focus of the project. The product by itself is just the result of this fantastic work. In comparison to the 'Grape Pack,' the 'Craftsman Champions' pack provided us with more design options that we could influence and implement, meaning we had more freedom to and possibilities to explore."

The collection drops this upcoming Saturday, October 11, at 11 a.m. CET at Overkill in Berlin, Germany. Retail is roughly $253 per pair. Also, expect a release at Sneakerness Cologne at 12 p.m. the same day.