By: Casha Doemland
General Mills is stepping off the supermarket shelves and into House of Hoops and Foot Lockers all across America this week in partnership with Nike and Celtics NBA player Kyrie Irving.
Inspired by cereals like Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Kix, these sneakers are decked-out with the logo of each brand on the tongue, similar colors to that of the packaging, and even the General Mills “G” on the back.
“The passion and obsession that some people have for cereal are actually fairly similar to the passion and obsession that we see in the sneakerhead community for sneakers,” says Taylor Gessell, a Marketing Communications Assistant Manager in Partnerships at General Mills. “There is a fandom culture around both, so this was a great opportunity to bring two extremely passionate groups together.”
The collaboration between the companies started last May when Kyrie Irving and his on-screen character Uncle Drew launched the Wheaties Sneaker, appearing on the front and back of Wheaties cereal boxes—a feat only accomplished once before.
The collaboration between the companies started back in May when Kyrie Irving, and his on-screen character Uncle Drew, launched the Wheaties Sneaker and appeared on the front and back of Wheaties cereal boxes, something that’s only been done once before.
These limited edition kicks were then gifted to 100 influencers and, eventually, people began asking where they could purchase a pair for themselves. It only made sense to give consumers a chance to buy the sneakers while also incorporating other beloved cereals.
“Kyrie’s team and Nike have been unbelievable partners. From bringing us the idea to producing incredible designs, this has been a top-notch partnership. Kyrie and team were the masterminds behind which cereal brands they wanted to pursue for this collaboration. They then took elements and details of our brands and reimagined them into sneakers in a very ‘Kyrie’ way that has impeccable attention to detail,” says Gessell.
All of the sneakers come packaged in cereal boxes with a basketball twist. Lucky the Leprechaun—or Sir Charms—can be found dribbling a pot of gold releasing lucky charms, Kix’s blue title now reads Nike, and Chef Wendell of Cinnamon Toast Crunch fame is gearing up for a slam dunk.
If you don’t think these kicks will sell out like hot cakes, you’re wrong. Last week at the two pop-up stores in New York City and Los Angeles, it only took a mere five minutes for people to find the shoe once it went live, and 30 until they sold out.
So, if you care to rock a taste of General Mills on your feet, you best get to getting and purchase the sneakers while supply last.
Casha Doemland
LA-based and Georgia-bred, Casha Doemland spends her days crafting poetry and freelance writing. Over the last two years, she’s been published in a variety of publications and zines around the world. When she’s not nerding out with words, you can catch her watching a classic film, trekking around the globe or hanging out with a four-pound Pomeranian.
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