Fashion designer Shanel Campbell never imagined that one of her footwear designs would make its way onto a Beyoncé Knowles-Carter stage years after its release. But during Jay-Z’s “Extra Innings” show at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, the superstar stepped out in the Swarovski crystal-embellished Jimmy Choo x Timberland 6 Inch Crystal Boot that Campbell helped create.

“I actually had no idea Beyoncé would be wearing the crystal boots,” Campbell said to FN via email. “I’m currently a fashion professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and one of my students came up to me after class and said, ‘Beyoncé is wearing your shoes.’”

Campbell revealed that she regularly shows the boots to her students while discussing her previous design work at the start of each semester, making the moment even more surreal. “I always end with an unboxing of the crystal Jimmy Choo x Timberland boots,” she said. “It gags them every time and sets an exciting tone for the rest of the quarter.”

The designer said she was particularly surprised about the major moment given that the shoes came out four years ago.

“Honestly, my first reaction was confusion, then disbelief, and finally shock,” she recalled. “The shoes were released in 2022, so it never crossed my mind that they would suddenly reappear during a massive Bronx-based cultural moment in 2026.”

The collaboration itself kicked off in 2021 when Harlem’s Fashion Row founder Brandice Daniel invited Campbell to participate in a design project that would merge Jimmy Choo’s luxury aesthetic with Timberland‘s iconic heritage. The project came after the designer had debuted original footwear through her former womenswear brand, Bed on Water. Following meetings with leadership from both brands and a creative trip to London, Campbell developed multiple concepts before five styles were selected for production.

“This wasn’t the first time Brandice had recommended me for a life-changing opportunity, so I immediately said yes,” Campbell said. “To my surprise, I was being asked to design a capsule collection merging the worlds of Jimmy Choo and Timberland.”

Daniel, who founded the Harlem’s Fashion Row agency to bridge the gap between brands and designers of color in fashion, also took to Instagram after the performance to relish in the moment, and to talk about the impact celebrities like Knowles-Carter can have. Daniel congratulated the young designer, writing: “I hope you’re sitting somewhere celebrating this moment because you deserve it.”

For Campbell, seeing the singer wear the boots carried special significance beyond the celebrity endorsement. “It means more to me than I could articulate,” she said. “I grew up on hip-hop, R&B and pop, so I loved Destiny’s Child. I’ve followed Beyoncé ever since — she has always been one of my favorite singers, performers and style icons.”

Campbell also praised Knowles-Carter’s longstanding support of Black creatives, noting that while she doesn’t know whether the singer was aware the boots were designed by a Black woman, she hopes she’d appreciate the connection. “I feel she would also be excited to know that the shoe was inspired by her,” Campbell said.

Looking ahead, Campbell isn’t limiting her ambitions to footwear. “I would love to design more footwear for Beyoncé and especially for her tour,” she said. “However, considering that I am trained as a fashion designer with a specific focus on alternative womenswear, I would love to design her outfits as well.”