It’s been a busy year for FCTRY LAb cofounder Omar Bailey.
After dropping a robust slate of collaborations so far this year, the designer and former head of Yeezy innovation is back with the second colorway of his sold-out Duck Boot silhouette with multi-platinum rapper NLE Choppa.
First launched in May, Bailey said that the original yellow colorway of the boot sold out in two hours and traded at a substantial premium in the sneaker after-market on StockX.
“When we first launched the Duck Boot, it was something that was loud and that could get a lot of attention,” Bailey told FN in an interview. “And I think we were successful with that. With the yellow one, it got people talking, whether they loved it or hated it. I was quite surprised that more people were into the yellow colorway than I thought.”
This time around, Bailey and Choppa are releasing the boot in a matte black colorway. Featuring an EVA foam upper, a vegan leather collar, a comfort-fit lining and a unique textured gum outsole, the latest boot aims to bring a more fashion-inspired twist to the collaboration, Bailey noted.
“Thinking about kind of what the next sort of version of that would be, my thought was always to do an all-black colorway,” he said. “Just something more familiar, something that that people could wear with almost anything. I also thought the black colorway was an opportunity to put Choppa in a different light, since he’s been elevating his fashion aesthetic. It’s about projecting Choppa in this light that he is someone that should be taken seriously in the fashion space.”
This launch comes just weeks after FCTRY Lab revealed a new collaboration with Collina Strada designer Hillary Taymour during New York Fashion Week. The mesh and lace design incorporates a sneaker-like outsole that feature Taymour’s dogs’ paw prints.
And Bailey isn’t stopping here. The cofounder told FN that he is currently fundraising to continue his work in the space.
“FCTRY LAb’s successful partnerships with brands, influencers, and athletes have excited investors for our new $8 million growth financing round that is expected to close in Q4,” Bailey said. “At the time of closing, FCTRY LAb will then have raised $15 million to drive its continued growth and disruption of the sneaker industry.”
For nearly 20 years, Bailey was the architect behind shoe collections for many of the industry’s most recognized names — include the Adidas Yeezy Innovation Lab, which he led for three years ending in May 2022. Now he is front and center at the growing FCTRY LAb footwear company, which he launched in late 2022 with partner Abhishek Som.
The company has seen steady growth since then. Following the launch of its debut styles, the Knight RNR in March 2023 and the men’s MOCC launch in October 2023, the footwear brand debuted two shoe collaborations with Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey and rapper Symba in December. This was quickly followed up by a tie-up with NFL’s San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams one month later.
The latest NLE Choppa x FCTRY LAb Black Duck Boot drops Oct. 5 on fctrylab.com.
