Timberland has teamed up with Betabrand, a crowdfunded apparel company, on a crowdsourced project to design its latest collection – the Craftletic. The name is said to stand for an intersection of craftsmanship and athletic ease-of-wear. Until March 17, consumers had a chance to vote on one of three unisex concepts they would like to see on the market. The three categories, which will later become shoe styles for men and women, include Urbanization, Neorganic and Modern Nomad. Consumers were asked to evaluate various design elements including materials, color and even whether a shoe should be for men or women. Timberland's internal design collective initially sketched the shape and structure of 14 styles across the three unisex boot categories. Then, a two-phase process began, putting consumers in the driver's seat. On May 13, the prototype of the best-received style will be created and made available for crowdfunding. Consumers will be asked to bid on the footwear they helped develop, and data will determine if the chosen Craftletic design created sufficient demand to go into production. The collection will finally arrive on the market in autumn 2016 for Betabrand shoppers and through select Timberland distribution channels.

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