Justin Bieber had a brief encounter with police this week, after an officer became suspicious of his high-end sneakers.
The 25-year-old singer recalled the incident via Instagram on Wednesday, claiming he had been questioned over his Off-White x Nike Air Max 90 Desert Ores. Bieber said the officer mistakenly assumed the footwear still had a security tag, when it was in fact the Off-White zip-tie—a signature detail on Virgil Abloh designs.
“Virgil, my god, bro. You freaking—you’re killing me, man!” Bieber told the Off-White designer on his Instagram stories. “I just had a cop come up to me and ask me why I still had the security tag on my shoe. What the …”
He continued: “I had to tell him, ‘Bro, it’s just fashion. I don’t know. [The officer’s] like, ‘It sure looks like a security tag.” I was like, ‘Nah bro you can just check it out. It looks like it though.’ But you’re getting me in trouble.”
Abloh has used industrial zip-ties—typically bright red—to adorn the brand’s footwear and clothing, but has never explained their true purpose. He did, however, tweet that they can help customers distinguish authentic designs from knock-offs.
The Off-White team has also shared a “how to” video that explains what one should do with the zip-ties: “cut the tie” or “leave it alone.”