Nicole McLaughlin and Merrell Reveal Their ‘Moc-Laughlin’ Colab

Nicole McLaughlin may be best known for her crazy conceptual fashion projects, but her sneaker colabs deserve a whole lot of love too. Having broken the internet many times over with projects like her Carhartt beanie shorts and croissant bra, McLaughlin’s penchant for upcycling segues nicely into her footwear collaborations, which often revolve around the great outdoors. The designer has worked with the likes of Vans, Hoka and Reebok over the past 12 months on just that, and she has now added Merrell into the mix too. For this colab, McLaughlin has opted to breathe new life into the brand’s archive Speed Moc silhouette, which has also already been dubbed the Merrell ‘Moc-Laughlin’.

Channelling her passion for climbing and other outdoors activities, this collaboration centres around the Merrell Moc Speed Streak. Here, McLaughlin has reimagined the style in order to incorporate sustainable materials and a more contemporary aesthetic. She presents the result in three earth-toned colourways: ‘Black/Amber’, ‘Birch/Hiviz’ and ‘Coyote/Olive’. Each pair comes crafted from a mix of recycled suede and mesh and features a recycled mesh lining and protective rubber toe caps. To combine form with function, the pairs also come with Cleansport NXT™ tech for better odour control. Finally, the pairs all feature 50 per cent recycled EVA foam footbeds, as well as partially recycled EVA Foam midsoles.

This isn’t the first time Merrell and McLaughlin have come together, but it is the first time the sneakers will be available to buy. Back in 2020, McLaughlin applied her unique design language to Merrell’s Jungle Mocs, a silhouette that happen to be one of her dad’s favourite styles. These were later awarded as exclusive prizes.

This collection will be hitting the shelves though, so mark your calendars for November 24. The pairs will drop at Dover Street Market locations before dropping at Merrell on December 1.