Military-inspired wear is the core of NEIGHBORHOOD’s design, with much of its collection an infusion of streetwear, work garb and militaria. Among its line of works, the GR-HI is perhaps the most blatant in its derivative reference: it’s a WW2 training shoe-inspired sneaker that’s built to last. Its high-top and minimal design allowed the silhouette to be an easy inclusion in any street-loving closet, but now NEIGHBORHOOD is upgrading the model’s durability to premium status by partnering up with Kurume-based MOONSTAR.

For the unacquainted, MOONSTAR is a Japanese shoemaking brand that was founded way back in 1873. Its celebrated craftsmanship has allowed the brand and its shoe to withstand the passage of time. Their construction is oft compared to an artform, and are best known for utilising the vulcanising process in their outsoles, whereby claylike rubber is fired in a kiln at 120 °C to create a flexible but durable sole. Such a technique allows the resultant shoe to be long-lasting while comfortable for long walks.

In collaborative fashion, this vulcanising method is utilised on this MOONSTAR x NEIGHBORHOOD GR-HI sole. Elsewhere, the shoe is also built for performance. A zipper unit with a watertight fastener is attached to allow efficient slip-in-and-off. The high-cut sneaker also features a thickly-cut canvas upper for added strength and durability. Aesthetic-wise, NEIGHBORHOOD’s coordinates branding is printed on the ankle and sole side tag. Nods to MOONSTAR is seen on the rear of the shoe, which reads “Manufactured by MOONSTAR”.

This MOONSTAR x NEIGHBORHOOD GR-HI Sneaker is slated to drop on 22 Oct on NEIGHBORHOOD’s web shop. It will retail for US$396 and will be available in black, olive and gray.

In other celebrated collaborations, check out this A$AP Nast x Reebok Zig Kinetica that’s all about utility.