A pair of Nike Air Max 97/1 designed by Sean Wotherspoon in 2018 are currently marketed for as much as 1,853 euros on resale platforms, suggesting how strong the sneakerhead and streetwear maverick’s cachet is.

Wotherspoon — who is understood to be an avid sneaker collector and is cofounder of Round Two, the Los Angeles mecca of vintage streetwear and sneakers — has now been conscripted by Barrow for a capsule collection.

Hitting retail this fall, the lineup comprises full ready-to-wear looks, with pieces akin to varsity jackets covered in collegiate patches featuring lettering and words nodding to each Barrow and Round Two, in addition to latest renditions of the previous’s signature smiley logo reinterpreted by Wotherspoon.

The collaboration is seen as a win-win, enhancing Barrow’s international profile because it goals to expand its footprint in Asia and the U.K., having already accrued around 350 retailers in Europe.

The Italian streetwear brand has cultivated a following since launching in 2020, hitting sales of 11 million euros in 2022 and winning the eye of local and international celebrities including Miley Cyrus, J Balvin, Lil Nas X and Winnie Harlow, not to say Italian rappers and personalities akin to Chiara Ferragni.

Signaling its ambition to boost its positioning, earlier this yr the brand tapped Chicca Senia as its first creative director. Senia brought not only her design intuition attuned to the zeitgeist but additionally her connections and youth-centric crowd to the brand.

For his part, Wotherspoon touted the collaboration with Barrow as furthering Round Two’s positioning as a worldwide brand, his primary business goal.

“With that in mind we’re so excited to be working with Barrow. Italy has all the time been on the innovative of fashion and is understood for quality materials,” Wotherspoon said. “Barrow and Round Two each have a keen eye for details and unique features that the wearer will appreciate,” he added.

 “The goal in working with Barrow was to grow our European market and leverage their incredible production capabilities, to create our first line of ‘Made in Italy’ products. We hope to make use of different techniques and facilities from world wide in future projects as well,” he said.

“Barrow and Round Two share similar tastes in color palette and graphic design; collaborating felt natural and simple. We dug deep into our archive and selected lots of ’60s and ’70s pieces for inspiration. I believe there’s something for everybody in our range,” he said.

Established in 2020, Barrow resulted from the synergy between Daddato SpA, which focuses on the production and distribution of kidswear collections under license, and the NXTGN consultancy agency founded by Federico Barengo and Paolo Sarimari.