Style

Palace's Vans SK8-Hi sneaker is a love letter to mushrooms

Magic? You decide.

Mushrooms, they’re so hot. Whether its those celebrating magical trips or the more lawful cultivation and foraging, the fungi has become a go-to symbol in both streetwear and interior design. Now, Palace is getting on board with all things shrooms for its take on iconic skate shoe.

The British streetwear brand is collaborating with Vans on a SK8-Hi covered in caps and stems. Available in three colors — cream, yellow, and blue — sneaker’s canvas side paneling is hit with a repeat print spelling out “Palace” in mushrooms. The rest of the upper is composed of an unadorned suede, while a cartoonish pair of mushrooms with fully zonked eyes are embroidered onto the heel. Capping off the flourishes is a co-branded tongue label, lest someone be unable to make out Palace’s name in fungi.

While the Grateful Dead trend may be all but dead, as is natural when outsiders embrace only the aesthetic of a band they hadn’t paid attention to prior, broader psychedelic imagery is still alive and well, micro-dosing tech bros be damned.

A boomer to embrace — Palace is on an infallible run of collaborations, and this week’s small footwear capsule with Vans continues the hot streak. Whatever your love of mushrooms may be motivated by, the fungi-covered SK8-Hi is a fun and playful way to embrace nature’s beauty on your feet.

Best of all, Vans consistently keeps its collaborations affordable. And although pricing details have yet to be announced, the tag should come in at around $100 at most — and even the resale prices should be somewhat palatable. If you’re interested in a foot fungi that isn’t repulsive, you’ll be able to pick up Palace’s SK8-Hi at 11 a.m. EST this Friday, November 5, through its website and physical locations.