Salehe Bembury

Salehe Bembury is an American designer. Currently operating his own brand Spunge, the New York City-native has become widely known for his footwear collaborations with New Balance and Crocs, among others.

Salehe Bembury’s Industry Beginnings And Yeezy Tenure

Born in 1986, the Tribeca-raised creative graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in industrial design. After college, Bembury landed a footwear design role at Payless Shoe Source, an experience the now Los Angeles-based multi-hyphenate described as “a great place to get my feet wet” to W Magazine in October 2016. Between 2011 and 2020, Salehe Bembury had stints at Cole Haan – having a hand in creating the divisive, but industry-changing LunarGrand – and Greats, a Jon Buscemi company, but one of the footwear designer’s biggest breaks was joining adidas Yeezy in the autumn of 2015. While at Kanye West’s label, the Syracuse University alum helped execute men’s footwear for Season 3 and Season 4 (the former was famously showcased at Madison Square Garden on February 11th, 2016).

On a whim on a random day in 2017, Bembury reached out to Versace’s design director via LinkedIn with a pitch: What if the Italian fashion house got into sneakers? Donatella Versace hired him as Head Designer of Sneakers upon their first meeting in Milan with the American creative going on to create the label’s Chain Reaction silhouette. Throughout the year, Salehe Bembury also worked with Kerby Jean-Raymond on Pyer Moss. Both Black designers have been vocal about the lack of representation within the footwear industry, with the 30-something-year-old LA resident also telling W Magazine that the small peer pool may have played an unconscious role in bringing both Black men together.

Establishing His Own Legacy Under Crocs

Following his work on the viral Versace Chain Reaction, Bembury would go on to become one of the hardest-working collaborators in the space, carving out partnerships with everyone from ANTA to Brandblack. For general audiences, the moment they became aware of the designer was no doubt with the Crocs Pollex Clog, a 2021 design that took the Colorado company’s success in a comfort-first landscape forged by the pandemic and made their slip-ons true streetwear sensations. It found its central selling point in rigid, molded bodies, an expression of Salehe’s trademark fingerprint motif that would inform much of his work with the brand.

From the Pollex Clog, the Crocs Saru Clog was the first step into building out a true catalog, a half-moc, half-croc design that still sported the fingerprint outsole design. More notably, the Crocs Juniper debuted at the end of May, the first Crocs sneaker design under his name and one that was released after wild fan demand in its rollout.

Other Salehe Bembury Collaborations And SPUNGE

From our perspective, Crocs is unquestionably the biggest trophy in Salehe Bembury’s case, helping bring a company that was once a punchline into a well-accepted member of the footwear industry from the perspective of even the most fashionable. However, his catalog is impressive for its overall breadth. New Balance also has their own roster of celebrated designs from the multi-hyphenate; the 1906R “Heat Be Hot” a major highlight in that regard, but addition collabs on the 2002R, 992, and 991v2.

He also supports a formidable partnership with PUMA, christened in the middle of 2024. His most visible work with the Big Cat came in courting Tyrese Haliburton before taking the lead on his first signature shoe; the PUMA Hali 1 bears fingerprint-like molding in the midsole and radical branding consistent with his expressive style. Outside of Hoops, he also has released the Velum, an everyday runner/trainer that’s threatening a sequel in the coming months.

Finally, Salehe Bembury launched his own SPUNGE label, an independently owned and operated footwear brand. The SPUNGE Osmosis is its current flagship silhouette, inspired by his love for the outdoors and representing his off-kilter design language with a soft midsole section that bulges out through circular cutouts under the heel.

Below you can find the latest on Salehe Bembury shoes from across the spectrum, including first looks and release guides for upcoming colorways.