For their second collaboration, Umbro, Werder Bremen, and Glückstreter have combined their shared love, passion, and history into a single sneaker: the Umbro Highway WB.
Back in 2019, we were thrilled by a joint release from Umbro, Werder Bremen, and Glückstreter. At that time, the trio released the limited-edition Werder Bremen version of the Neptune sneaker.
The silhouette with the chunky sole—limited to 350 pairs—was redesigned from the sole up for this release. With its green-and-white colorway, the collaboration paid tribute to the city of Bremen and the historic club SV Werder Bremen.
There’s
also much more to the second collaboration between the soccer club, the English sportswear manufacturer, and the Bremen-based sneaker store than just the release of a new colorway.
But first things first…
“Neighborhood Footwear since 2013…”—that’s the tagline of Bremen’s top destination for sneakers, apparel, and accessories. At Ostertorsteinweg 68/69, people from Bremen and the surrounding area can find hundreds of sneaker models from various brands, as well as the perfect outfit to go with them. The Glückstreter portfolio features not only well-known brands but also new local and up-and-coming ones.
The cozy store is located in a beautiful Art Nouveau building. The love for sneakers is truly palpable here, living up to Glückstreter’s hashtag #shoeloveistruelove.
Sport-Verein Werder v. 1899 e.V., also known as “Werder,” is one of the 15 largest sports clubs in Germany. For anyone wondering what “1899” means—since that can’t possibly be a year—the answer is: Yes, it is a year.
SV Werder Bremen is one of Germany’s oldest and most storied clubs. They share the podium on the Bundesliga’s all-time standings with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund: 3rd place out of 56 (!).
For anyone who isn’t from Bremen or isn’t a soccer fan and hasn’t yet looked into the club’s name: “Werder” actually refers to a piece of land that was flooded by a river.
But SV Werder Bremen is not just a sports club. It is also committed to numerous social and charitable projects off the soccer field, such as charity tournaments, anti-racism campaigns, jersey donations to developing countries, and the construction of soccer fields (SPIELRAUM Project).
The Umbro brand has been in business for nearly 100 years. They are the top outfitter when it comes to soccer. From the Premier League to the Campeonato Brasileiro, they’re there for everyone. This includes various Bundesliga clubs, one of which is Werder Bremen.
Umbro’s founder, Harold Humphreys, coined the following phrase: “Style is a performance advantage—if you look smart, you play smart.”
It’s a statement that the sneaker industry and its customers can fully relate to. When you feel good in your outfit, almost anything is possible…
So style isn’t just about what happens on the field. As part of casual culture, a scene within a scene developed in England. An ever-growing group of soccer fans was interested not only in the games but also in fashion and music.
They wanted to set themselves apart from everyone else. What began as a sense of tribal identity turned into a competition. It was no longer just about performance on the field; style performance in the stands also played a role.
Through Umbro, sports fashion made its way not only to the stands but also to the stage.
In the mid-1990s, at the dawn of the Britpop era, Umbro also made a name for itself in the music scene. “Biblical”—to use a term coined by Liam Gallagher—was Oasis’s performance on April 27, 1996, at Maine Road, the soccer stadium in Manchester and home of the Manchester City soccer club.
The band—themselves big soccer fans and Umbro wearers—were also dressed in Umbro on the ticket for the legendary concert. Liam wore the legendary Umbro Drill Top during the performance. As a result, even music fans who might not have had any interest in the sport began to take notice of the brand.
Soccer has thus inspired and influenced not only fashion on the field and in the stands, but also the wider community.
A similar spirit of togetherness can also be found—on a different scale—in the design and development process behind the collaboration between Glückstreter, Umbro, and Werder Bremen. Every aspect was considered here: fans, community, sustainability, social responsibility, sports, and style.
The design of the Highway WB, limited to 1,500 pairs, is inspired by the spirit of togetherness and the social responsibility of soccer. The minimalist and simple silhouette features numerous details that pay homage to the soccer club and its diverse fan base.
But this collaboration is special in another way as well: With the Highway WB, Umbro is releasing its most sustainable model to date.
The city of Bremen has been pursuing a well-developed sustainability strategy for quite some time. The focus is primarily on mindful eating, conscious consumption, and the reduction of packaging waste, energy, and resource use.
SV Werder Bremen is also considered a pioneer in sustainability within professional sports. Since the last phase of renovations, the wohninvest WESERSTADION has been covered by a photovoltaic system consisting of 200,000 solar cells. As a result, the stadium covers between 91 and 100 percent of its own electricity needs.
To align with the City of Bremen’s commitment to sustainability and thereby make the collaboration process more transparent, the Collabo partners have decided to manufacture the Highway WB using more sustainable materials and to consciously opt for alternatives free of animal-derived ingredients.
The Umbro Highway WB is an evolution of the Umbro Highway model, which was originally introduced as part of the Archive Research Project.
In collaboration with Glückstreter and Werder Bremen, the company has decided to refine the look of the minimalist silhouette with great attention to detail.
Naturally, the sneaker features SV Werder Bremen’s traditional colors: The upper, which is made from 45% recycled waste materials, comes in a mix of green and white. White serves as the base color, overlaid with green overlays and accents.
To showcase the love for the soccer club, the “WERDER” and “BREMEN” lettering is prominently displayed on the right and left sides of the sneaker against a green background.
The heel of the left shoe is adorned with the Bremen key, which also appears in the city’s coat of arms. On the right heel, we find the diamond logo of SV Werder Bremen, introduced in 1929. But those aren’t the only symbols representing the love and passion for the city on the Weser and its club:
On the back of the tongue is the emblem of the wohninvest WESERSTADION. The other tongue is adorned with a specially designed symbol representing the connection between Werder, its fans, and their city.
And, of course, the “Glückstreter” has also been immortalized on the sneaker:
The two halves of the name are located on the right and left lace tags, respectively. Additionally, there are 5 different pairs of laces, giving everyone the chance to customize their shoes.
The laces are made from 100 percent recycled materials. Thanks to the variety of colors and designs available, the Highway WB can rock a different look every time.
The designs were inspired by the Werder diamonds,
Bremen’s “Speckflagge,”
and the well-known rainbow pattern of the LGBTQI+ community.
The sneaker’s dark midsole is made of 90 percent natural rubber and 10 percent recycled rubber.
This mix of materials has created visible discoloration on the sole, making each pair in this limited edition unique.
At the same time, the look is reminiscent of the old floors in Bremen’s historic Art Nouveau buildings.
The Glückstreter store has also found a home in one of these buildings,
so the sole also serves as a tribute to the Bremen boutique.
But the attention to detail doesn’t stop there. To further express the passion behind this collaboration, an additional 100 “HIGH TIDE” shoe boxes were designed. For this, Umbro, Werder Bremen, and Glückstreter brought the social design studio weserholz and the shoe care experts at Collonil on board.
Since its founding in 2016, weserholz has pursued the goal of actively supporting young refugees through assistance, education, and social integration.
The goal is to improve refugees’ living, working, and housing conditions in the long term. The designs focus primarily on creativity and the diversity of life experiences.
The outer surfaces of the HIGH TIDE box are made of wood and visually resemble the sheet pile walls along the banks of the Weser River.
The lid features a diamond-shaped cutout, whose shape references SV Werder Bremen and Umbro. Inside the diamond on the lid, we find a special depiction of the logos of Werder Bremen, Umbro, and Glückstreter.
This elegant box comes with a range of special features. In addition to a large selection of natural cleaning and shoe care products from Collonil, the box also includes two special pairs of socks and the five pairs of shoelaces mentioned above.
It is limited to 100 pieces. From each sale, 100 euros will go to weserholz to celebrate and support the design studio’s outstanding work.
With the HIGH TIDE box, the trio is highlighting the art of collaboration.
They show that a shoebox can be more than just a simple cardboard box.
In addition to this already special release, they’ve created something unique that celebrates their shared love of soccer.
You could say this is a very well-rounded project. They really thought of everything here. That would also be the perfect transition to soccer, which is, after all, round, too.
However, this is round in more ways than one… sort of “multiball round.” That would put us more in the realm of pinball machines.
So let’s drop these metaphors and just say… this release is a huge win.
The depth of the space has been fully and successfully utilized.
The question remains: how was such a small, charming store from Bremen able to pull this off?
That remains the secret of Stefan Schrader from Glückstreter.
We’ll ask him about it when the opportunity arises.
The Umbro Highway WB is limited to a total of 1,500 pairs and will be available starting Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at 10 a.m. at Glückstreter, Umbro, and Werder.
There are 100 Collector’s Boxes, half of which are available at Werder and half at Glückstreter. Both will be offering the chance to purchase starting Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at 2 p.m. You’ll find more details starting tomorrow on Glückstreter’s Instagram channel.
Photos via Christian Wasenmüller
Update (April 27, 2021)
This great behind-the-scenes video has just surfaced. Check it out—it’s definitely worth watching:
