Cutty Sark Serves Up Sneakers, Straight

The Scottish distillery worked with a Los Angeles designer to create the ultimate chasers.

Scotch is in vogue so it makes sense that one of the biggest names in the business is getting into fashion. Cutty Sark has teamed up with the Los Angeles-based shoe designer Brandon Day, Creative Director of Generic Surplus, to create a stylish new shoe for bartenders, an overlooked group as far as purpose-built kicks go. Day says he was happy to work for a liquor company – that it felt right.

“It’s natural to meet people and discuss creative endeavors over drinks,” he says. ”It was great to design a shoe that would be for bartenders who are the stars in this world.” 

This world has expanded somewhat over to the last decade. Whiskeys are everywhere and everyone in the whiskey business is meeting demand with creativity. The new shoes, made in shades of green and yellow ripped off the bottle, are a way to celebrate the release of Prohibition Whiskey, a tribute to the era when cases of high-proof scotch in opaque bottles arrived in small harbors at night. Day dug the rebelliousness of the brand and picked out some black leather to match the attitude. To him, bar culture and fashion culture are as linked as music and style.

He’s a SoCal guy. For him, it’s about being on the street then being in the shade.

As for getting the shoes on bartenders, that’s Cutty Sark’s job. But the brand has serious distribution – believe us, they’ve got it at your local watering hole – so that might be doable. With their classic high-top shape, they’re as comfortable a go-to as straight whiskey for men who spend time on their feet. And, yeah, guys spend a lot of time drinking, an activity Day refers to as “recreating from time to time.”

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