“Bottom line: we’re trying to find exclusive stuff, small-batch weed, and to have a monthly drop party that highlights the cultivator.”
With more than a dozen brick-and-mortar locations on the East Coast, the Boston-born sneaker and streetwear company Laced has grown exponentially since stepping on the local scene back in 2006.
Collaboration kings who have released gear with everyone from Nike to elite boutique skateboard and clothing brands, they’re also edging into the cannabis space, starting with a spot inside the Fenway weed mall New Día.
So it was only a matter of time before Laced owner Joamil Rodriguez went further, adding his iconic logo to an actual cannabis brand.
Enter the Collab Group, a new outfit co-founded by longtime pot industry pros Brian Hurley, Sean Curley, and Charles Smith. A sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution company, they broker deals “depending on what a business’s needs are.”
And for this debut endeavor, they’re linking Laced with top growers and introducing their weed—in collectible sneaker box-like packaging, of course—to the Massachusetts marketplace.
“Similar to how Laced has been trusted as a place where you can get hard-to-find apparel and sneakers for years, we’re bringing that same philosophy to cannabis,” Curley said.
The concept is to drop four strains every month at about a dozen stores, starting with New Día this weekend (where there will also be an indoor skateboarding competition underway on Saturday). The January cultivars will all come from the Ware-based Breathe Free, but moving forward there will be multiple growers involved every month, with 10 to 12 cultivators in the mix.
“We have four different colors—they’re clear, square jars, then the lids are red, orange, yellow, or purple,” Curley said. “We’re trying to find four different distinct terp profiles.”
As for the packaging, “they come in a little box that looks like a shoebox”—right down to the sticker in the corner that will list the grower and other relevant info. “It’s going to embody what a sneaker looks like,” Curley said.
He added, “Bottom line: we’re trying to find exclusive stuff, small-batch weed, and to have a monthly drop party that highlights the cultivator.” Plus there will be tie-ins with actual sneakers, etc.
Additionally, the Collab Group is handling sales and field marketing for Breathe Free, has a deal to make micro vapes for the Washington state-based brand Phat Panda, and will be manufacturing vapes and concentrates for Cookies in the commonwealth.
