John Rattray Brings Mental Health Awareness To The Why So Sad? x Nike SB Bruin High

From the outside looking in, sneaker fandom and collecting may seem like a vain, financially-nonsensical interest, but the medium has allowed for brands and their collaborators to tell meaningful stories. The latest example arrives in the form of the Why So Sad? x Nike SB Bruin High.

Founded in 2016 by Scottish professional skateboarder John Rattray, Why So Sad? has raised awareness and funds of and for mental health, suicide alertness and prevention. Partly inspired by the tragic loss of his sister, Katrina, the initiative has seen Rattray do everything from bike 100 miles to drop collaborative t-shirts to promote his mission of helping those battling with depression and other obstacles to their mental well-being. Despite previously working with the New Balance Numeric team, the skater’s recently brought his creative input and mission to Nike SB, via both the Dunk Low and Bruin High silhouettes. The latter project maintains similar motifs to the former–namely Rattray’s “Predatory Bird” logo and “WHY SO SAD?” messaging–but replaces bold blues with muted brown across the majority of the upper. Eye-catching yellow and blue deliver contrast via the laces and profile swooshes, respectively, while semi-translucent light gum brown bottoms round out the mission-driven collaboration.

Enjoy official images of the pair ahead, as you wait for firm Nike SNKRS release details.

For more from under the NIKE, Inc. umbrella, check out the latest Air Jordan 1 styles.