Buffalo Source Taps Berlin Magazine 'Gruppe' for Rave-Ready Tower Shoe Collaboration

Founded in Frankfurt in 1979 as a cowboy boot retail business, Buffalo is a brand that sits in its own lane. It was never a brand to rival the giants of the footwear game, but rather a niche that later found cult acclaim in the 1990s with the likes of the Spice Girls and Berlin ravers wearing its chunky platforms for hedonistic nights on the town. Now, Buffalo looks back at its game-changing ways with a new collaboration, tapping Gruppe magazine to rework Buffalo Source’s Tower shoe.

In the ’90s, the Tower was something completely innovative. Now, it sets to change the game again with Gruppe‘s input, combining elements of clubwear, business fashion, and the underground industrial dance scene.

The result sees Buffalo’s shoe appear in the quintessential black colorway all over, but swapping bulbous uppers for a formal, pointed silhouette. Brogue lacing hints at more sartorialism, while underpinning the shoe is a new sole unit. Here, Buffalo’s platform legacy is honored but tweaked, as the sole is closer again to something like a brogue shape.

Gruppe‘s take on the Buffalo shoe debuts today via VooStore in Berlin, coming together for a party that’s co-curated by the Berlin label and music platform Hoer. It will release en masse on May 26 at VooStore, as well as via Gruppe and Buffalo.

In case you missed it, check out Hypebeast’s deep dive into the world of norda.