PONY Revival + Collaboration with Joey Bada$$

PONY, the original sneaker brand with a 45-plus year history of influencing New York’s culture of cool, relaunches this week with the campaign, “Product of New York” under its namesake. The campaign creative is intended to honor the city that has long defined the brand and its highly-coveted sneaker collections.

To celebrate the relaunch and modernization of PONY’s iconic Topstar sneaker, which was integral in the creation of present-day sneaker culture, the brand collaborated with Brooklyn hip-hop superstar and actor Joey Bada$$, who served as both the perfect muse and model for the fall collection.

History
When PONY first appeared in 1972 the brand created casual wear lightyears before athleisure wouldbe formally admitted into the dictionary.

PONY was built in New York’s image, which is to say it was equal parts ambitious, edgy and energetic – the sneakers were designed to keep up with the fast-paced motion of the city streets and 40 years later the streets of New York may have changed by the energy remains, more vital and vocal than ever before.

With the resurgence of retro brands flooding the athleisure space, PONY offers a unique point of view through the brand’s New York lens.

Fall Campaign

The fall campaign creative, shot in-studio against a clean background, intentionally focuses on the brand’s authentic face, Joey Bada$$, and the footwear.

Joey is photographed in a range of looks, including the white Topstar with the brand’s black chevron, which the artist distinctively styled with a basic tee and tartan suit.

He is also shot in PONY’s new patent-leather high tops, in both burgundy and stark white, as well as a tonal nude Topstar.

Fall Collection

The brand’s unisex fall collection will reintroduce iconic silhouettes from the heritage brand that have been re-imagined with a contemporary spin that includes modern tooling and new colors, fabrics and materials.

The new PONY Topstar, once worn by legendary PONY athletes Dan Marino and Pele, and now wornby icons of culture like Joey Bada$$, will be available starting this week at retailers such as UrbanOutfitters, Zumiez, SneakerVilla, specialty boutiques and more.

“I carry New York with me everywhere I go. It’s almost written across my forehead. I am a product of New York, working with Product of New York and there are so many parallels between myself and the brand,” commented Joey Bada$$ on the partnership. “The fact that it’s an OG classic brand, and that’s basically my sound – OG, classic, timeless – I just thought it was a match made in heaven,” he continued.