UNDERCOVER and George Cox Release Cindy Sherman Photo-Printed Derbies

Japanese fashion label UNDERCOVER, in collaboration with British footwear manufacturer George Cox, has released a new iteration of the 4 Eyelet Derby for Fall/Winter 2026. This latest collaboration extends a partnership between Jun Takahashi's UNDERCOVER and George Cox's Northamptonshire workshop. For this collection, the silhouette has been reimagined through the lens of American artist Cindy Sherman, whose photographic studies on identity are integrated as the surface design of the shoes. The construction of the derby remains true to George Cox's established methods. Both available colorways are built on the 1353 last, a traditional round-toe form originating from Northamptonshire, which George Cox utilizes to imbue its heritage silhouettes with a more robust character. Each pair is supported by a lightweight EVA sole, and the four-eyelet lacing system, which lends the derby its name, is secured by steel eyelets. The interior of the shoes features natural kip lining leather, an industrially stamped finish that George Cox considers a signature element. Instead of traditional dyeing or embossing techniques, George Cox and UNDERCOVER have employed a photo-printing process. This method wraps Sherman's photographic works around the entire body of the shoe, presenting the artwork as a continuous surface with a primary focal point positioned on the toe. Cindy Sherman gained recognition for her staged self-portraits, in which she adopted various personas to explore the construction and performance of identity. This artistic preoccupation with self-image aligns with UNDERCOVER's historical engagement with themes of subversion. The two distinct colorways of the derby draw inspiration from different pieces within Sherman's extensive catalog. The white colorway features "Untitled #122," created in 1983, while the black colorway incorporates imagery from Sherman's earlier "Untitled Film Stills" series, specifically "Untitled Film Still #16" from 1979 and "Untitled Film Still #53" from 1980. Collectively, the source imagery utilized across both designs spans from 1979 to 1983, effectively transforming the derby into a wearable piece of art that references one of the most influential bodies of work in contemporary American photography. The shoes are available now, with a suggested retail price of $450 USD. They can be purchased through George Cox's retail channels.