While the adidas Bape relationship is one that’s minted plenty of shoes in the past few years, you have to go all the way back half a decade for the last Dame linkup. The BAPE Dame 4 delivered one of the few streetwear crossovers in Lillard’s product line so far, so when it comes to high-profile names to loop in, the Japanese imprint makes a ton of sense for the Dame 9.
The shark tooth print that marked the sole of that preceding pair is absent, but the iconic Bape camo remains, taking over the glove-like overlay in vibrant fashion before inverting to a more abstract print on the mesh inner bootie. As far as branding, the gorilla logo appears on the medial heel of either shoe and a BAPE-Sta emblem, a first on any collab adidas shoe, hits at the heel. On top of the established history between this line and the brand, the overall design meshes well to this sort of fiery look, with the slits at the quarter just one of the expressions that emphasize an overall ferocious outfit.
Release details around this shoe and the Dame 9 model as a whole remain largely a mystery. However, given the D.O.N. Issue #6, revealed alongside Lillard’s shoe at All-Star Weekend, just got an official release date, it seems likely that this silhouette will be the next domino to fall. Nonetheless, keep an eye on our Sneaker Release Dates page for the most current info.