Pusha T to Present Pharrell With Footwear News Shoe of the Year Award

Last month, it was announced that Pharrell would be awarded Shoe of the Year at the 2025 Footwear News Achievement Awards (FNAAs) for his Virginia Adistar Jellyfish collaboration with Adidas. Now Billboard can exclusively announce that the award will be presented by none other than fellow Virginia Beach native and frequent collaborator Pusha T.

“Virginia is my home. It’s the origin,” Pharrell told Footwear News in their brand-new FNAAs issue (see the cover below). “So, when we create under the Virginia umbrella with Adidas we’re talking about roots, culture and identity —not just the shoe, but the ecosystem around it: the story, the place, the community.”

He added: “The Adistar Jellyfish was never about playing it safe. It was about expanding the idea of what movement could look like. I see it as freedom. There’s expectation, but really there’s an invitation to go a little further, to explore a little beyond.”

Pharrell and Pusha T met in the early ’90s and have always repped Virginia Beach throughout their stellar careers, so it only makes sense that Pharrell would be presented this award by another hometown hero. “Virginia Beach is already a cultural destination – where community comes together, where artists collaborate and new ideas are born – but there’s so much more to come,” he told Footwear News.

He concluded: “‘Go bigger’ was a mindset. If we’re going to do it, let’s really do it.”

This will cap an excellent year for Pharrell and Push, as they’re each nominated at the 2026 Grammys for their work on the Clipse album Let God Sort Em Out — including the top prize of album of the year — plus Pharrell snagged a best music film nod for the LEGO biopic Piece by Piece.

The 2025 FNAAs will take place Wednesday (Dec. 3) at Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York City.

The event will also honor Tommy Hilfiger with a Lifetime Achievement Award, Coco Gauff as Style Influencer of the Year, and Ronnie Fieg as Person of the Year. Other honorees include Jordan Brand (Brand of the Year), New Balance x Miu Miu (Collaboration of the Year), and Nordstrom (Retailer of the Year).

See the new cover below: