Over the weekend, a mob comprised of about a dozen people organized in downtown Chicago. They were dressed in all-black from head to toe with black masks on, similar to Kanye West at his DONDA listening events. They marched down Michigan Ave, and even entered a couple shopping centers including the Water Tower Place before being escorted out by security. Onlookers were puzzled, yet intrigued, by what was going on.
The flash mob was organized as guerrilla marketing for the next release from Kito Wares, a streetwear brand based out of Bloomington, Indiana. Named the Tribus “Mother Mary,” the shoe features imagery of the Virgin Mary on the tumbled leather upper and embossed crosses on the midsole, tongue, and heel. Its name “Tribus” (the number “3” in Latin) is a nod to the sneaker’s classic silhouette, though the shoe is in no way affiliated to any major sneaker brand.
This is not the first time Kito Wares has used religious imagery on a shoe. Last Christmas, the brand launched the “Passion of Christ” shoe, which featured a Jesus graphic on the quarter panels. Other notable releases include the “Heat Sense” Skate Low, which all of the members of the flash mob were wearing, and the “Creation Series,” a two-shoe pack covered in imagery from Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam painting.
The Kito Wares Tribus “Mother Mary” shoe officially launches on Friday, October 29 at 5pm ET on kito.online. The shoe is priced at $150 USD and comes in a special box. It also comes bundled with the Kito Wares 7 Sorrows Candle, which features seven wicks that represent the seven sorrows of Mother Mary. Check out the shoe below, along with pics from the Chicago flash mob event.
