I caught up with a busy Darin Hager of Heyday footwear for a quick follow up interview, before the Heyday company unveiled a new collaboration with minimalistic street wear company; Wrath Arcane. Heyday and Wrath Arcane revealed to the world their new footwear collaboration to the world; and the reaction to the sneakers was great. Heyday has a handful of new collaborations coming this year, so watch out. Read on to learn more about Heyday’s work so far in 2010.

Mike B: Glad to be talking to you again, Darin. So, since we last spoke, there was big hype around a couple of collaborations you have coming up. What can you tell us about them?

Darin: Glad to be talking with you again as well, Mike. We’re very excited about the 4 “Collaborative Efforts” as we call them. They all came about in an organic way, through friends or colleagues.

We have 3 boots with Japanese Selvedge Denim brand; Sugar Cane,

2 sneakers with minimalist street wear brand; Wrath Arcane,

1 boot with Homeroom,

and 2 womens sneakers with Miss Wax.

We haven’t made a formal announcement yet, (though I guess this will be it) after many, many requests from women for Heyday in smaller sizes, we are launching a womens collection consisting of Super Shifts in metallic leathers, Super Shift Ballistics in all ballistic mesh (cordura) and a new low top, the Super Shift Low in full leather and leather/ ballistic mesh combos. To really get the womens line to he next level, I turned to my friend Kylee Fauss who owns and designs a very street worthy jewelry/accessories line out of LA called Miss Wax. She has taken the design to the next level on two exclusive co-branded versions of the Super Shift that really combine the two brands organically and we will be showing it together at Project and Pool in February.

Mike B: Can you tell us a little bit about Wrath Arcane, and how your partnership with them came about?

Darin: I have personally been a big fan of Wrath Arcane since their first season. I just love the minimalist street wear look but with subtle military undertones and innovative design. I happen to be taking a quick walk through the Capsule show while Heyday was next door at Project in Las Vegas, saw WA’s booth and stopped in to say and tell them how much of a fan I am. Sean was there, we chatted, I showed him my Super Shifts, asked if he’d like to work together and we made it happen quickly. As soon as he saw them, he said that our design aesthetics were similar and would work well together. I was truly honored; this wasn’t a pre-planned collaboration. This was me finding my favorite designer at a trade show and getting a project going on the spot. These are my favorite Super Shift’s to date and I will be rocking them at Project!

Mike B: The Wrath Arcane collabo looks great, the shoes are very, clean, and the fresh silhouettes we have come to expect from Heyday. What did Wrath Arcane bring to the table when creating the footwear?

Darin: Sean Bilovecky, the owner and designer of the brand loved the modularity of the Super Shift, in that you can wear the ankle strap 4 ways or even remove it entirely. Sean designed the lace cover (which replaces our strap) and it is immediatly recognizable as his “Harness” design element which is found in many of their jackets and shirts as an overlay to the yoke. Sean also did the colorways and material selction. The 2 colorways are black/black and dark gull grey/white in a bad ass waxy full grain leather all with matching stitching. They are both very understated at first glance yet pushing the enevelope when looked at in detail. The lace cover is also right at the forefront of trends, as we have started to see a few progressive European brands with spats, lace covers and kilties.

Mike B: Lastly, how was the reaction when Wrath Arcane revealed the the collaboartion sneakers at ENK Collective Show?

Darin: Reaction has been extremely positive with both contemporary retailers and the press after just a day. Sportswear International shot photos of the shoes today and Sean just emailed me to say “Everybody that walks by picks them up and says they’re sweet.” Good enough for me…for now.

I’d like to thank Darin for this second interview, and we will be sure to keep following up on these new and exciting collaborations. Make sure to check out Heyday’s site, and grab a pair right there on the site.

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