Brain Dead x Oakley Factory Team Flesh Release Date

Brain Dead has announced that it will be joining Oakley in relaunching its “Oakley Factory Team” innovation lab. The new project will “take Oakley’s rich history of innovation and experimentation and step further by integrating the DNA of archived products into new models via Brain Dead’s design and marketing matrix,” the Oakley Factory Team announced in its first-ever press release.

For the duo’s debut project, they revisit Oakley’s 2000s footwear archives, releasing three new colorways of the laceless Oakley Flesh silhouette. Design adjustments include the replacement of the original rubber midsole with a phylon layer for a lighter and easier-to-wear construction and the addition of oval gel appliques for a forward-facing aesthetic. Uppers are found in brushed calf leather, padded sock lining arrives in form-fitting neoprene, and metal Oakley logos adorn the toebox. A finger-like modular outsole completes the design.

“The result is a fresh interpretation of Flesh with a neo-futuristic aesthetic that borders rebellion,” said Oakley’s VP, Product Creative Catalyst, Brian Takumi.

“Brain Dead has always been one to push the boundaries of the avant-garde via experimentation,” adds Brain Dead founder, Kyle Ng. “We look to take the founders of Oakley’s original concepts and ideas and bring them forward into our new world. Some of Oakley’s earliest designs, such as the Flesh, seemed so futuristic at the time that it is only now that they have begun to feel like contemporary objects.”

The Brain Dead x Oakley Factory Team Flesh D1 Collection consisting of the “Ice” and “Lime/Blue” colorways is set to debut on April 19 for $165 USD, while the simpler Oakley Factory Team Flesh “Sand/Blue” colorway will release on May 3 for $155 USD. The collaborative pairs can be purchased on the Brain Dead website and physical retailers as well as select stockists including HBX, Dover Street Market, and Bodega.