Wolverine, Metallica foundation partner on ‘Encore’ merch collection

Wolverine, Metallica foundation partner on ‘Encore’ merch collection
<strong> Courtesy Wolverine </strong>

Wolverine is partnering with Metallica’s charitable foundation on a limited-edition boot and apparel collection to benefit students of the skilled trades.

Wolverine, a brand of Rockford-based Wolverine Worldwide, and Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation (AWMH) are rolling out a new collection benefiting the Metallica Scholars Initiative, which provides support to community colleges to enhance their career and technical education programs for students who want to enter a trade or other applied learning program. Grand Rapids Community College was one of three trade programs nationally to receive a three-year $100,000 joint grant from Wolverine and AWMH as part of the Metallica Scholars Initiative.

The new collection will feature an all-new, limited edition assortment of three Wolverine boots, a hoodie and beanie, as well as a graphic T-shirt with art by Metallica collaborator Brandon Heart. Fifty percent of the sales will go to the Metallica Scholars Initiative, and each of the more than 900 Metallica Scholars across the country will receive a pair of the collaboration work boots and a graphic T-shirt as part of the partnership.

Available for pre-order on Tuesday, Nov. 9, the collection will be available on Giving Tuesday (Nov. 30) at wolverine.com.

“We’re proud to continue celebrating and supporting the next generation of skilled tradespeople through partnerships with exceptional organizations and initiatives like Metallica Scholars,” said Tom Kennedy, global brand president for Wolverine. “We hope Metallica fans will love and wear this collection with pride, knowing they are joining us in supporting the future American workforce.”

Since launching a partnership in 2019, Wolverine has contributed more than $300,000 to the Metallica Scholars Initiative.

“We are grateful to be part of helping the world’s workforce stay strong through the Metallica Scholars Initiative, and Wolverine shares our passion for supporting and celebrating the people who are the future of the workforce,” said Metallica’s James Hetfield. “This partnership will continue to shine a light on the opportunities in the skilled trades and support students as they work toward establishing rewarding, sustainable careers.”

The Wolverine x Metallica Scholars collection features three boot designs:

  • Wolverine 1000 Mile Plain-Toe Rugged ($400): Handcrafted in the U.S. with matte black Horween leather, this classic boot has a heavy metal edge with AWHM blue stitching, limited edition tongue-tag, metal toe-kicker and a rugged Vibram outsole.
  • Wolverine Hellcat UltraSpring Work Boot ($150/$155): This boot is available in soft and safety toe styles, featuring metallic and AWMH blue details.
  • Wolverine Hellcat UltraSpring Wedge ($165): This everyday boot features metallic and AWMH blue details in a casual wedge style.

The custom-designed graphic T-shirt features a skull and tool cross bones in tribute to the trades programs the collection is supporting through Metallica Scholars.