SPECIAL X ELLESSE THE ASSIST | FAB FIVE PROJECT

There is a good reason why they called themselves the “streetwear specialists”. Feeling both the skate and sneaker cultures in Milan been largely underserved, a few enterprising folks opened Special hoping to be a remedy to the issue. Instead, the retail’s popularity grew exponentially in a short time. Soon, purchase orders came from elsewhere in Europe and even Japan. But because they started as a store for skaters and sneakerheads, Special picked the The Assist from ellesse as its design base on the FAB FIVE Project. Though it was originally designed for basketball, The Assist became a popular model among West Coast skaters, especially when pro rider Natas Kaupas rode with them during the 1989 film “Streets On Fire”, now a skate film cult classic. As a homage to the time period, Special brought back the original navy, white and red colorway seen on the cover of Transworld skate magazine from then. To make the revamped design truly their own, Special accentuated it with patches of patent and ostrich leather. Like all FAB FIVE Project editions, including the atmos x ellesse Marathon 84 and the PRESENT London x ellesse Poli, only 150 pairs will be available worldwide. The Special x ellesse The Assist goes on sale today at Special’s Corso di Porta Ticinese 80 location in Milan