FN’s first Collaboration of the Year award went to Timberland and its work with Billionaire Boys Club co-founder Pharrell Williams. The Bee Line x Timberland collection was a fresh and creative take on the classic boot — and turned out to be a favorite of celebrities, including Beyoncé and Rihanna. Although Pharrell wasn’t able to attend the awards — he films NBC’s “The Voice” in Los Angeles — he sent a video describing what it was like to work with Timberland.
“It’s been an honor to be recognized for our Bee Line x Timberland collaboration,” he said. “Timberland has demonstrated its willingness to do different things and be daring as a brand. With the help of Bionic Yarn, we were able to recycle six plastic bottles to create each boot, which makes it truly fulfilling to receive a nod for this collaboration.”
Lisa Demarkis, Timberland’s vice president of global product and design, accepted the award. “We are truly honored to be here tonight to accept this recognition of our collaboration with Pharrell Williams,” she said. “I’d like to thank Pharrell himself — an amazing human being.” Other highlights from the evening included Deion Sanders’ memorable speech about Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank and Kanye West’s 20-minute speech in accepting his Shoe of the Year award.