Salehe Bembury continues to push the boundaries of footwear design through his Crocs Pollex Clog collaborations, this time enlisting painter Nina Chanel Abney for the latest installment of his artist-led Art Friends Thumbs Up Good Job (AFTUGJ) series. Known for fusing fine art and consumer design, the series aims to spark dialogue between new and existing audiences, bringing contemporary artists into the sneaker space with limited-run drops.
SHOES
Nina Chanel Abney brings her signature style to the Pollex Clog with an asymmetrical design featuring two distinct black-and-white checkerboard patterns, one shoe with stretched geometric squares, the other with a repeated abstract face motif. Subtle yet impactful, the design is energized with pops of pink at the toe and heel, echoed by a pink “NCA”-branded strap.
The limited run mirrors Bembury’s previous AFTUGJ drops with artists like Futura and Jonas Wood, each edition produced in just 1,000 pairs. The project has become a platform for cross-disciplinary storytelling, positioning the Crocs silhouette as both canvas and collectible. Abney, whose past collaborations include work with Jordan Brand, is no stranger to reshaping icons through her lens. With the Pollex Clog, she departs from traditional expectations of footwear design, introducing abstraction and unpredictability in a genre often driven by symmetry.
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As Bembury continues to build a dialogue between the streetwear space and the fine art world, the AFTUGJ series proves that collaborative design can exist as both expression and education. This third installment reinforces the idea that the future of footwear is as much about cultural storytelling as it is about aesthetics.
The Nina Chanel Abney x Salehe Bembury Crocs Pollex Clog will be released on April 30 at 12pm EST via BeASpunge, priced at $95 USD.
Name: Nina Chanel Abney x Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Clog “Art Friends Thumbs Up Good Job”
Colorway: TBC
SKU: TBC
MSRP: $95 USD
Release Date: April 30
Where to Buy: BeASpunge
