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Inside Wolverine’s New Boot and Apparel Collaboration With Metallica Scholars

The legendary band and boot brand have teamed up for a third limited-edition collab, with a portion of proceeds going towards Metallica Scholars to support students pursuing the skilled trades: ‘We believe deeply in the future of the trades,’ frontman James Hetfield says

By John Lonsdale

John Lonsdale

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December 13, 2022

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Wolverine x Metallica Scholars Collection

Courtesy Wolverine

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On an overcast Sunday earlier this August, flames shot into the sky and fireworks exploded over Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, home of the Pirates baseball team, as part of Metallica‘s final stop on the band’s summer stadium tour.

Though the concert only lasted a few hours with a set list that spanned hits like “Master of Puppets” and St. Anger deep-cuts, Metallica’s road crew, from carpenters to sound technicians, got an early start days before to pull it all off, carefully prepping the pyro, throwing on harnesses as if climbing a mountain to install pieces of the stage, and for some, doing it all in well-worn Wolverine boots and Metallica merch. After all, it’s a fitting pairing to see, since the group’s Metallica Scholars program has collaborated with the legendary bootmaker in the past.

Now months later, the band has teamed up once again with the 139-year-old boot company for its third Wolverine x Metallica Scholars Collection.

Buy Wolverine x Metallica Scholars… From $15-$165

“We think [the collaboration is] the right fit,” Metallica frontman James Hetfield tells Rolling Stone in a statement. “We believe deeply in the future of the trades, and to have Wolverine join us in supporting our Metallica Scholars makes for a great collaboration. They share our passion for people who are working toward rewarding careers, and together we’ve helped students find their place in the world.”

Featuring a mix of heavy-duty Wolverine x Metallica Scholars Hellcat UltraSpring work boots, a sleek shirt-jacket, a knit beanie, and graphic tees designed by artist Brandon Heart, the new collection is available for fans to buy online now, with prices ranging from $15 to $165.

Buy Wolverine x Metallica Scholars Boots $165

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Half of the proceeds from the line goes directly back to Metallica Scholars, the group’s workforce education program that’s part of All Within My Hands, the non-profit foundation the band created in 2017.

“We value our partnership with All Within My Hands immensely because, together, we are able to work towards our unified goal of bringing awareness to all the great opportunities that exist within the skilled trades — like being one of the talented rig-builders, electricians, and set-builders that make up the road crew for a touring rock band,” Scott Schoessel, Wolverine’s vice president of global marketing, said in a release.

Along with a portion of the proceeds made from the new limited-edition line, Wolverine says it also plans to donate both apparel and work boots to the Metallica Scholars program.

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“We fund community college education for folks who want to get into the trades, so careers in technical training. This particular show is unique in that we have a partner in Wolverine,” Renée Richardson, All Within My Hands’ director of philanthropy, told Rolling Stone the day before the Pittsburgh show, later adding that students from a local Metallica Scholars program would get the chance to see the concert setup firsthand.

According to Richardson, Metallica Scholars is currently working with 32 community colleges spread across 27 states, explaining that “by the end of this year, we hope to have served probably over 2,000 students and paid for their education.”

Following the Wolverine x Metallica Scholars collection launch, the band released its latest single, “Lux Æterna,” the lead track from its upcoming album 72 Seasons, due out April 14, 2023. The band will also embark on a massive world tour, with stops in Europe and North America in support of its twelfth LP, with a part of ticket sales going towards the group’s All Within My Hands foundation.

Until then, you can shop the band’s newest collaboration, now available exclusively on Wolverine.com.

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