Salehe Bembury Spunge Osmosis Release Date

After years of spreading his designs throughout the shoe industry through collaborations, Salehe Bembury is ready to launch a sneaker all on his own.

After steadily teasing the venture for months, the independent designer formally announced Spunge and its debut sneaker, the Osmosis. Driving the brand-new silhouette is Squish Tech, a cushioning system that consists of a proprietary foam encapsulated inside an engineered stability cage. Inspired by squeeze toys, the inner foam can be seen through cut-outs at the heel called “domes.”

“I’ve been working as a footwear designer for 15-plus years. My collective experiences as both designer and collaborator allowed me to realize I need to have full agency over my vision to achieve the ambitious goals that I’ve set for myself,” Bembury said in a press release. “The only way to do that was to create my own footwear brand. Spunge is the vehicle that enables me to create on my terms, with my own unique output.”

A multimaterial upper includes what appears to be a ripstop base with several taped-seam overlays and padded eyestays. Confirmed is a moisture-wicking lining, as well as a sockliner and strobel both from Ortholite.

Four colorways will serve to introduce the Osmosis: tonal blue Malawi; green, gold and burgundy Malawi; purple, teal and yellow Slaw, and mustard and brown Yukon.

Just last month, Bembury released his first two sneakers designs Puma: his own shoe, the Velum 1, as well as Tyrese Haliburton’s signature model, the Hali 1. October will also bring his retrospective book “I Make Shoes” published by Rizzoli.

A raffle for all four of Salehe Bembury‘s Spunge Osmosis sneakers is open now on the Be a Spunge website, with winners to be notified Monday. Launch events are then slated for Dover Street Market London, Kith NYC, A Ma Maniere Atlanta and ComplexCon Las Vegas prior to a global launch Nov. 15. Pricing is set at $150.