The recent Taco Bell x The Hundreds product drop isn’t the only thing popping in streetwear-meets-fast food collabos these days. Today, designer Jeff Staple (né Jeff Ng) unveils his partnership with Shake Shack, which encompasses both custom gear and a brand-new concrete flavor. Here’s a rundown of the goods:
- “Staple Concrete” (single: $4.30, double: $6.55). Shake Shack’s culinary director Mark Rosati teamed up with Staple to create a custom concrete inspired by the brand’s famous pigeon logo. The bird’s charcoal coloring is represented by a special black-sesame glazed cake doughnut from Doughnut Plant, while raspberry jam represents the iconic red feet. It’s all blended together with vanilla custard.
- Staple-Shack sunglasses ($35). The black, matte-finish glasses are a three-way collaboration with eyewear maker Knockaround. They feature both the Shack Shack and Staple logos, and come in co-branded box with padded carrying case, neoprene strap, die-cut stickers, and voucher for a free single cup or cone of Shake Shack’s fresh-made frozen custard ice cream.
- Staple-Shack t-shirt ($23). The co-branded tees are a celebration of New York City, combining the Staple Pigeon with NYC landmarks like the Flatiron Building, Empire State Building, and Brooklyn Bridge.
The clothing will be available exclusively via shakeshack.com, staplepigeon.com, and thereedspace.com while supplies last. You can try the concrete for a limited time only—September 12–21—at the following Shake Shack locations: following NYC Shake Shack locations: Madison Square Park, Battery Park City, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO Brooklyn, Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, Theater District, Upper East Side, and Upper West.
We caught up with Jeff to get a little background on how this project came together:
Q&A: Jeff Staple discusses his Shack Shack collabo
What was the inspiration behind the products?
The products we’ve produced is really the first time Staple and Shake Shack has done an apparel and food collaboration. We came up with a t-shirt design and also collaborated with Knockaround on a pair of sunglasses for Shake Shack. On the food side we created a shake, or what they call a concrete, so theres a special Staple concrete. We wanted to do something that matched our aesthetic, feel of our brand and our icon, the pigeon.
How involved were you with creating the concrete?
Yes, I worked closely with Mark Rosati, who is Shake Shack’s Culinary Director, and together we developed this brand new flavor that’s very much inspired by the pigeon and its colors. Like gray tones from our blend of vanilla custard with black-sesame doughnuts from my favorite doughnut place in the world, Doughnut Plant, and then a hit of fresh raspberry preserves in every one. The flavors are amazing and fun, kind of like a peanut butter and jelly flavor but with an Asian twist with the black sesame.
Have you always been a Shake Shack fan? How did this collab come about?
For sure, I’ve been a Shake Shack fan since they had the one only location in Madison Square Park and before the lines were forming. I’ve always been a burger aficionado and Shake Shake still tops the list for me. I’ve also been a fan of the way they conduct themselves as a business and of [founder] Danny Meyer, too.
What are your other go-to burgers when you’re on the road and not near a Shake Shack?
I’m a fan of Fatburger and when I’m out west, it’s In-N-Out.
What food-fashion collabos do you think have worked in the past, and which were wack?
The only food- fashion collabs I can think of off the top of my head is the one Stussy did with Yardbird in Hong Kong, and I think they did another one with Plan Check in LA. They weren’t wack, but it’s a different scale because those places have one location compared to Shake Shack with over 50 locations worldwide, including 11 in NYC. I think the whole food and fashion collaboration is a new frontier.