In an exclusive interview, the Hollywood A-lister talks Michael Jordan’s inspiration and reveals why he didn’t want to be another celebrity endorser in sneakers.
“You want to try the shoe on?” Mark Wahlberg asks in the tone of one of his hard-boiled movie characters.
We’re sitting in New York City’s latest F45 location, where Wahlberg just finished hosting a private workout. The shoes the Oscar-nominated actor turned mogul is referring to are the pair that’s currently on his feet – a sample of the first sneakers under his brand Municipal.
Everybody that I talked to in the shoe business tried to discourage me from going into it,
Mark Wahlberg on making his own sneakers
Slipping on someone’s sweaty shoe right after a workout isn’t something I usually do, but Wahlberg can be very persuasive, so I give in.
“Michael Jordan has been a huge inspiration,” Wahlberg says as he points to the Jumpman on the Air Jordan 3s I’m switching out for his shoes, which he calls the M-Float. “I’ve made shoes with Jordan Brand. I’ve talked about partnering up with other brands, but I figured the only way to do it is to do it myself.”
Having seen a lot of gimmicks in the sneaker space, I put my foot in with a bit of skepticism. Surprisingly, the sneaker’s cushioning has a feel akin to Adidas Boost or Nike React.
First impressions aside, it goes without saying that launching a brand is easier said than done–especially with less than a handful of companies already dominating the industry. Wahlberg got this warning from many of the experts he consulted with over a year ago, but decided to bet on himself anyway.
“Everybody that I talked to in the shoe business tried to discourage me from going into it,” he said. “Now 18 months later, when I found my partner, we got shoes coming to market.”
The A-lister is no stranger to hype either, having collabed on one of the rarest and expensive Jordans of all time in the Wahlburgers x AJ4, which currently carries a resale value of over $25,000.
Taking a cue from Jordan, Wahlberg was motivated to become his own sneaker brand rather than just be relegated to another celebrity co-sign.
“To see Khaled and J Balvin doing Jordans and all my friends making shoes is cool. But if you want to do something great, sometimes you’ve got to go make it on your own,” he said, adding that he just picked up a pair of Fat Joe’s “Terror Squad” Nike Air Force 1s. “I love the collab, but to be able to make my own shoe from scratch – that’s special.”
Building something from the ground up is how Wahlberg likes to do business. Take his involvement in F45 as an example. Not only are Wahlberg’s 4 a.m. workouts at the gym stuff of mythology, but he also serves as the fitness chain’s Chief Brand Officer and even designs workouts for the company.
“I don’t do things that are not a direct extension of who I am,” Wahlberg said point-blankly.
As for his sneaker business, the debut product was created as part of a joint venture between Wahlberg’s clothing brand Municipal and Wayne Kulkin, founder of sneaker company P448.
“I think we can go toe to toe quality and comfort wise with any of the big boys on the technical side,” Kulkin said. He adds that the M-Float’s proprietary cushioning consists of five different layers of foam. “We wanted to create something that was inspired by his lifestyle, but could translate to being a good shoe for everybody.”
Kulkin says the company crammed two and a half years of research and development into a period of six months in order to make the first shoe that drops on Oct. 18, using Wahlberg’s lifestyle as the design brief. A larger collection of Municipal footwear is planned for next year, including a slide, a hybrid golf shoe and a court sneaker.
Despite the cautions of starting another independent shoe brand, Kulkin actually saw an advantage in tapping into Wahlberg’s passion for the business, fame and personal network.
“We’re creative junkies, so when somebody says it’s impossible, that’s encouragement for us,” Kulkin said, adding that he sees an opportunity of selling units just through Wahlberg’s personal following. “It’s a nice marriage because Mark’s tenacious and there’s always room for us as the world changes and consumer behavior changes.”
Similar to the Easter eggs one might find on a signature sneaker that add to an athlete’s storytelling, there are details on the M-Float that tie back to Wahlberg. Some pairs will have his sayings on the sockliner, while others will actually have the actor’s workout schedule printed on them.
“It’s a brand that stands for grit, hustle and hard work,” the designer said. “We wanted those to be the values that someone literally stands on.”
For Wahlberg, building his brand is more of a long game than short money. He approaches this new business venture like he does his daily workouts–with disciplined focus.
“The most important thing is if you’re going to do something, you’ve got to commit to it and you stay the course,” Wahlberg said of his personal philosophy. “Nothing comes easy, and if it does, it’s probably not going to last.”
