kicks/hi x sig zane = (red)

the most anticipated island collaboration of the year is finally making its debut tomorrow. yep, after all the waiting kicks/hi + sig zane release their spin for the (converse) red collection on saturday. it's so cool to see local designers getting involved in the (product) red campaign and getting some well deserved exposure and a little media love.

in case you didn't catch bono kicking off the campaign on oprah last year, red is all about raising funds to help fight the aids epidemic in africa by giving you, the consumer, a painless way to shop a tad more consciously.

basically, whenever you choose to snap up limited edition red chuck taylors/ipods/razrs/etc over the standard issue, the participating company donates a portion of sales from that product to the global fund which is fighting the good fight by purchasing life saving medication that our fellow world citizens would otherwise not be able to afford.

the kicks/sz converse design features a handprinted 'uluwehi keaukaha print (in honor of the tree planted on son kuhao's first birthday) and is only available in men's sizes 5-13 (including half sizes; fyi - for the uninitiated, chucks are a unisex style so refer to the size chart to determine the corresponding w's size). there will also be a baseball cap in the same colorway.

no doubt these are going to be very popular considering there will be competition between sneaker collectors, converse fans, and folks who want to support local designers so remember that they will only be stocked at the following locations (in addition to the sz online shop):

• hilo: sz shop & the cutlery | honolulu: kicks/hi - makaloa shop | wailuku: sz shop
• chicago: saint alfred