An unlikely pairing, streaming service Netflix and Sotheby’s auction house have teamed up to create an out of this world sneaker, dubbed the Dibiasky 550, to celebrate today’s release of Adam McKay’s star-studded film Don’t Look Up. Featuring fragments of a pallasite meteorite, the spectacular discovery was unearthed in the dry bed of Russia’s river Hekandue.
Only one, singular pair of the coveted Dibiasky 550s will ever be created, which will, without a doubt make the exclusive sneaker a hot ticket item for sneaker-heads when it goes up for auction at Sothebys.com at 12 PM ET/5PM GMT on December 17th for immediate purchase. Through the auction house’s Buy Now platform, proceeds will go towards WWF’s conservation efforts. Considering the one-of-a-kind sneaker is going for £10,000 (approximately 13,300 USD), the World Wildlife Fund’s efforts to reduce human impact on the environment should receive a pretty penny.
Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear & Modern Collectables Brahm Wachter said of the project, “It’s not every day we have the opportunity to offer a one-of-one pair of sneakers that technically date over four billion years old. At Sotheby’s, we’ve had the extraordinary pleasure to offer some of the most amazing and special sneakers ever created, but few can rival the uniqueness of this incredible pair. We look forward to bringing this incredible item to market.”
Using McKay’s forthcoming Don’t Look Up as inspiration, the custom sneakers are named after Jennifer Lawrence’s character Kate Dibiasky. As a grad student studying astronomy, she and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, discover that a comet is headed straight for planet earth.
Inspired by the fictional comet plunging towards earth in the film, Dibiasky 550 sneakers consist of 4.5-billion-year-old Seymchan meteorite derived from the core-mantle boundary of an asteroid that disintegrated during early solar system history.
Designed by Matt Burgess of “MattB Customs,” the Manchester-based sneaker designer called upon the tried-and-true New Balance 550 silhouette as a base for the Seymchan meteorite. Pristinely cut with a high-pressure water jet, the 34 fragments were precisely carved into the design of Burgess’ making. With extra-terrestrial crystals of shimmering olivine and peridot integrated within, the meteorite’s detailing glimmers from emerald hues to warm amber tones.
On the film that has inspired it all, Burgess stated, “This movie shines a light on science and its importance in contextualizing our place in the universe. When you touch a piece of rock that has been hurtling through space for a third of time itself, it’s hard not to be humbled by it. Creating this shoe was an experience that will stay with me forever.”
