The Hill-Side Bridge Mid Sneakers
Footwear inspired by a rare early ’70s US Military Delta shoe
New from Brooklyn’s The Hill-Side, and developed in collaboration with Japan’s Kaptain Sunshine, comes a rather uncommon-looking laceless sneaker: the Olive Drab Bridge Mid, Kaptain Sunshine Special Edition. This mid-height sneaker cites the very rare “Delta shoe,” briefly used by the US military in the mid-’70s, as its design inspiration. The Kaptain Sunshine Special Edition incorporates three variations of Olive Drab fabric (perhaps better known as OD Green): back satin, ripstop and herringbone twill—all of which is 100% cotton. Among the other features, velcro locks in the foot closure and there’s a rugged, highly functional all-black sole. The original Delta shoes were for wading and use across humid terrain. While the Bridge Mids could hold up under similar environmental stresses, as evidenced by the use of canvas-backed foxing tape and a twill tape binding at tongue, they’re good looking enough that we’d be hesitant to test them in such a way.
Of equal importance, the Bridge Mids are ethically produced by hand in Japan, at one of the nation’s oldest factories. All of the fabric also hails from Japan. The Olive Drab Bridge Mid, Kaptain Sunshine Special Edition are being produced in limited qualities, but The Hill-Side also has a Natural Duck Canvas version, produced in the same way at the same facility.
Olive Drab Bridge Mid, Kaptain Sunshine Special Edition is available online, at The Hill-Side flagship store in Brooklyn, and at select global retailers for $198.
Images courtesy of The Hill-Side
