The collaboration between FRACAP and Southfresh is an encounter between a tradition that knows exactly where it comes from and a contemporary imagination that explores the relationship between nature and design. The new M128 LICHENI boots are the result of this dialogue, a limited release that brings Italian craftsmanship into a new idea of camouflage — organic, unexpected, almost mystical.

Southfresh starts from its research into natural patterns and transforms it into detail rather than decoration. The jacquard licheni® collar, made by ancient Salento weaving mills, is the element that draws the eye — a nod to the micro-ecosystems that grow on rocks, translated into texture. The rest is done by Fracap, which since 1908 has been handcrafting shoes built to last a lifetime. In their workshop in the deep south of Italy, the Cappello brothers individually stitched each new boot using fine black Tuscan leather, bringing solid materials and territorial identity into dialogue.

The silhouette is the iconic M128: a design that doesn’t need to chase nostalgia to feel contemporary. The latest-generation Vibram® sole confirms the practical vocation of the shoe — lightweight, waterproof, durable — while the gunmetal eyelets and double laces add sturdiness and options for personalization. Even the included brush is a clear sign: these boots aren’t something to be consumed, but to accompany over time.

Born to move anywhere, from trekking routes to city streets, the LICHENI boots express a different way of understanding outdoor style: not a costume, but an extension of the landscape. This is where the collaboration finds its meaning, in the balance between Fracap’s manufacturing heritage and Southfresh’s vision — capable of making even the designed look natural.

The release is scheduled for tomorrow, November 18, 2025, on southfresh.it. An all-Salento collaboration that reaches far beyond its territory, bringing Italian craftsmanship into a new aesthetic language.