What Timberlands Customized by Your Favorite Fashion Designers Would Look Like

You're familiar with Timberland work boots by now. The workwear staple has become an American classic for more than one subculture, and whether it's snowing like no tomorrow or on stomping on stage, Timbs are everywhere all year round.

With the advent of streetwear and it's infusion into high fashion, we've seen designers borrow time and again from classics like Converse, or rework models from Nike and adidas. Most recently, Jean Touitou's A.P.C. redesigned their own pair of Timbs in the brand's minimalist aesthetic, only to have the item pulled by Timberland after a controversy involving a racist collection title.

Controversy aside, we wondered: what would it look like if a few of our other favorite designers were inspired to rework a pair of classic 6-inch boots. While these are all hypothetical, we can't help but think that each one of these new designs would fly off the shelves. Check it out as we imagine What Timberlands Customized by Your Favorite Fashion Designers Would Look Like.

All illustrations by Jonathan Fouabi

With the brand's love of it's bordeaux-meets-pastel purple, last seen in Pigalle's rendition of Nike's Air Raid sneaker, there's little doubt that the company would incorporate the now-signature color into its Timberland model. This Air Raid treatment extends even to the boot sole, which has the same texture as the Nike basketball that inspired it. With Pigalle “P” logo branding on top of a white boot collar, this looks like it would fit right in on the sidelines of Pigalle Youth Basketball team game.

Tying-in with his Fall 2015 mens collection, Raf Simons' undoubtedly would keep his Timberlands as graphic as the clothes in his collection. Arguably the most recognizable pieces on the runway from that show—the long, white coats—feature hand-drawn doodles, phrases and slogans.

While the inspiration for those jackets directly draw from Simons' own youth, the “hand-customized” treatment on the jackets translates perfectly to the Timberland boot. Due to boredom or interest in standing out, a young guy would likely personalize his own clothes with scrawled on text and pictures—especially if the base color is pure white. Considering the commonality and recognizable look of Timberland boots, a stylish guy would likely want to twist up his boot with his own customizations and doodles. Seeing as Raf draws from this type of mentality not only for fall/winter 2015, but nearly every collection he's made, this design choice seems like an obvious one for a Raf Simons pair of Timbs.

If Rick Owens got his hands on a pair of Timbs, there's little doubt they'd end up like Owens' already boot-like Geobaskets. Monchromatic, and essentially triple-high compared to the six inch classic, Owens' take on Timbs would certainly be more practical than some of his more architectural footwear (like the Tech Runner). That said, note the white leather detail on the outer panel and the padded cuff that uses the traditional Timberland cuff as opposed to that of the Geobasket sneaker. Replace the sharktooth sole with the traditional one, and this pair of Timbs would look just as good on a Parisian runway as it would on a NYC sidewalk.

Hedi Slimane's aesthetic follows him wherever he goes (see his move from Dior to Saint Laurent for proof of this), his '60s mod aesthetic would cross over into his work with Timberland. Unfortunately, the modern day workboot was not a footwear choice for the type of man that Slimane draws inspiration from, so it's more than likely that Slimane would design his pair of Timbs by breaking down the silhouette, and rebuilding it as a chelsea boot. A leather sole would replace a rubber one. Laces would be exchanged for mesh side panels and pull tabs. Waterproof “wheat” leather would be replaced with soft Italian suede. It may not be the boot that you've seen at your closest construction site, but it sure as hell would look at home walking the cobblestone streets of any European city.

Even with Galliano at the helm, Margiela's aesthetic has always been (and hopefully always will be) minimal and paired down, but exceedingly luxurious. Much like the modern-day-classic “Future” sneaker, these Timbs would have a leather upper so as to cover the laces, minimizing the overall silhouette.

Instead of opting for the classic “wheat” leather, it's more likely the team at Margiela would instead use a leather with light caramel or beige color— especially since many of the brand's most popular pieces (especially those worn by Kanye) boast this shade. Add the classic rubber sole, and this would be one of the most streamlined boots on the market today, designer or otherwise.

Virgil Abloh's OFF-WHITE is all about simultaneously paying tribute to and elevating the culture from which he came from. Since Timbs have been had streetwear presence, don't expect much to change about Abloh's rendition. However, he would almost certainly incorporate his crosswalk-like stripes—a trademark of his PYREX VISION and OFF-WHITE brands—shown on the cuff of the boot here. To take cues from his fall/winter 2015 “Don't Look Down” collection, the hiking theme crosses over into the boot design via red hiking laces, metal eyelets, and speed hooks to hold the laces near the neck of the boot.

Since 2002, Comme des Garçons PLAY has been an accessible gateway to the wide, weird, world of Rei Kawakubo. The Filip Pagowski-designed heart logo and polka dot accents would make this one of the more PLAY-ful Timberlands on the market. If you're familiar with the brand's Converse lace up, then it would make sense that Kawakubo would attach a similar design philosophy to yet another American footwear classic. It's much the same, likely done up a traditional black Timberland nubuck, and embroidered heart on the heel, and white full-grain leather collar. These boots would certainly be pretty tough—for something covered in polka dots.

Drawing from the classic Thom Browne brogue boot, this version of Timberlands would be outfitted with a leather welted sole, with traditional English brogue detailing (aka those dots you see measured around the boot). While it's hard to tell here, if Thom Browne were to add his name to a pair of Timbs, it's more than likely they'd also be crafted out of pebbled leather, tied together with rolled leather laces, and feature “Made in England” proudly stamped on the inside. Add Browne's signature tricolor pull tab on the heel of the boot, and these might be the first pair of Timbs that actually belong under a immaculately tailored suit—just be prepared to size up a few.

Inspired by the collaboration Gosha Rubchinskiy has with Camper, his Timbs would look something like a mix between the boxing-like Camper boot, and the traditional timb. Done in a deep purple and featuring leather detailing on the side panel near the toe, laces, and heel, Gosha's Timbs would likely feature soft suede detailing, but with a matte, weatherproof leather and plush leather boot cuff. While this boot is clearly more inspired by 2014's fall/winter collection, all of Gosha's work with Camper has touches of his Russian streetwear-upbringing—something that, at closer inspection, doesn't seem out of place with this Timberland boot.

Oh Jeremy Scott, you've made yourself well known at Moschino. Much like his work with adidas, the footwear birthed from a collaboration between Scott and Timberland would be nothing if not loud and graphic. Yes, this boot is more of a direct reference to the designer's fall/winter 2014 collection—citing junk food giants as direct inspiration—but we would be shocked if Scott didn't make the iconic Timberland boot as much a parody as the other brands he drew from for his older collection.

With a ketchup-red quilted leather body, mustard yellow boot collar, and the Moschino heart-meets-“Golden Arches” detail at the heel, this boot is as much for fans of Scott's aesthetic as it is for fans of burgers, and fries. What's more American than that?