In 2021, Tommy Triggah and MORPRIME Industries designed the first colorway of the KangaROOS 'Inside Job' collection. This was such a great success that the duo has once again joined forces. The second collaboration introduces a hybrid model designed by Tommy Triggah and MORPRIME themselves.
Our very own Tommy Triggah explains in this article how the collaboration went and where the inspiration behind the 'Inside Job 1.5' came from.
Inside Job 1.5
The OMNI-RACER forms the basis of 'Inside Job 1.5'. The silhouette is handmade in Germany and will be available in two different colorways: the 'Saffron' and 'Meranti'. The sneakers have a clean design and are made of high quality materials. In addition, the environment is taken into account and as little waste as possible was produced during production.
Inside Job 1.5 'Saffron'
The 'Saffron' has a cream-colored base, which is made of soft mesh. Overlays of butter yellow nubuck are placed around the entire upper. Beige accents can be found on the tongue, medials and heels.
A striking 'Laser Blue' color is seen on the KangaROOS logo on the tongue, providing contrast to the warm tones of the upper. Also, the 'Saffron' comes with reflective details, which were also seen on the first collaboration. These details come in black and grey and are applied to the mudguards, toebox and the ROOS logo on the center panel.
The Tommy Triggah x MORPRIME x KangaROOS OMNI-RACER 'Saffron' comes in a limited edition of 400 pairs. A nice detail is that each pair features an imprint in the leather that shows which pair you scored, such as: 390/400.
Inside Job 1.5 'Meranti'
With a limited edition of only 100 pairs, the 'Meranti' is four times rarer than the 'Saffron' colorway. The 'Meranti' colorway is somewhat quieter compared to the 'Saffron'. This is mainly due to the less prominent brown color placed on the nubuck overlays.
A wasabi green color is used for the ROOS stripe and logo on the tongue. This contrasts with the soft cream-colored mesh, which is characteristic of the 'Inside Job 1.5' project.
Like the previous pair, the 'Meranti' also has a dynamic addition. For example, reflective material has been used around the mudguards and on the KangaROOS logo on the side panel. This colorway also features an imprint in the leather with the number of the 100 pairs.
Both colorways come in a specially made box, with artwork also reflected on the custom-printed insoles.
Tommy Triggah
Tommy Triggah is no stranger to KangaROOS, releasing the Morprime X Tommy Triggah X KangaROOS 'Inside Job' in 2021. "The collaboration regarding the Inside Job 1.5 is a continuation of our previous Inside Job collaboration with Kangaroos in 2021," Tom tells Sneakerjagers. "The partnership between Morgan Weekes (Morprime) and me has proven to be a strong one."
According to Tom, he and Morgan Weekes share the same vision in terms of taste, knowledge and thought process about footwear. "This makes the process of designing a shoe a lot easier and faster. We both know what we want and like to see." The collaboration with KangaROOS is also a good match, according to Tom. "We have been given a lot of creative freedom by KangaROOS to realize our ideas." Here he refers to designing a completely new model.
The OMNI-RACER takes inspiration from the Racer Hybrid model used in the first collaboration. Tom and Morgan are both big fans of this silhouette and wanted to bring it back in the second collab with KangaROOS: "For our second collaboration we wanted to go a step further, so we made the 1.5 version", says Tom.
Designing an entirely new model goes beyond just designing a colorway. "We created a new hybrid version by replacing the standard Dynacoil midsole that comes with the Racer Hybrid with the Ultimate midsole. This is how the new Omni-Racer was created," Tom explains. "To accomplish this, the shoemakers at Hummel & Hummel had to manufacture a whole new shoe in Germany. We are very happy that the KangaROOS team allowed us to do this."
Inspiration Inside Job 1.5
Like the previous collaboration, the inspiration for the Inside Job 1.5 collaboration came from Tom and Morgan's personal tastes. "We wanted to make a shoe with the materials we like and again wanted to create colorways that would appeal to a lot of people." Here, Tom refers to the choice of colors in the Inside Job 1.5 collab. "No wild colors, but a subtle mix of colors with just enough striking details that give the sneakers a twist."
The names of the sneakers, 'Saffron' and 'Meranti', hint at the striking colors on both designs. The materials are also carefully selected. "The distinctive coarse mesh on the toebox also stems from our own taste in materials and again takes the Inside Job series to a new level in our opinion," says Tom. "In addition, the high quality materials on a handmade shoe from KangaROOS speak for themselves."
According to Tom, the collaboration with KangaROOS went almost flawlessly as well as last time. "From packaging, extras, to the shoe itself, everything is as we wanted it to be. It was also a relief to get the trust of a brand to make something completely new," says Tom. He is satisfied with the collaboration and is curious to see how the model will be picked up in the future.
"Regardless, the OMNI-RACER will always be linked to Morprime and me," says Tom. "It remains special to be able to make history in this way. My thanks go to Kangaroos, Hummel & Hummel and of course my partner 'in crime', Morgan Weekes."
The drop
The Tommy Triggah x MORPRIME x KangaROOS OMNI-RACER 'Saffron' and 'Meranti' will be released on August 27, 2022. The colorways will be available for purchase at KangaROOS and various retailers. Check out the entire list of retailers and raffles for each sneaker using the buttons below!
