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Brian Procell: The Godfather of Vintage and His Long-Awaited Collaboration with Mephisto
Brian Procell, the legendary vintage dealer and consultant, still remembers the moment he first laid eyes on a pair of Mephisto sneakers. It was long before his iconic Lower East Side shop opened its doors and even before he earned the title of “the Godfather” among the next generation of vintage dealers.
As a teenager in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Procell would window-shop for Polo Ralph Lauren in the local malls, where he first discovered his love for fashion. But it was the adjacent footwear section that caught his eye, and that’s where he first saw a pair of Mephisto sneakers.
For Procell, there’s something special about discovering a product organically, without any marketing or cultural influence. It creates an unbreakable bond, and that’s exactly how he felt about Mephisto. The French brand wasn’t marketed towards a “lifestyle” consumer like Nike or Timberland, so Procell’s discovery of the brand felt like a true moment of serendipity. He compares the sneakers to the ultimate version of ’90s skate shoes like the Hook-Ups Special Police or the Vans Skate Cab 4.
Fast forward to today, and Procell is running his own shop, working at Supreme, and known among his co-workers as the “guy who always wears Mephisto.” A fortuitous seating arrangement near Supreme’s head footwear designer led to a collaboration with Mephisto, a brand that Procell has been a fan of for over two decades.
Procell and his partner, Jessica Gonsalves, are no strangers to footwear collaborations, having worked with Nike and ASICS in the past. But their collaboration with Mephisto holds a special place in their hearts. The Procell x Mephisto Match, a project that has been in the works since the end of the 2010s, is finally set to release by the end of 2024.
For Procell, this collaboration is more than just a business venture. It’s a personal connection to a brand that has been a part of his life for so long. And with his keen eye for sourcing and curation, we can expect nothing less than a truly special and unique collaboration.
