A Dallas Fashion Family Blends Style and Athletics for the Ultimate Unisex Sneaker

Mother-son duo Nicole Musselman and Henry Boykin dropped their first Koch sneaker Tuesday, December 7. Koch, you might recall, is the clothing line launched by Musselman eight years ago. Its light-filled Uptown boutique, affectionately known as the Koch House, was designed by Jean Liu in a repurposed 1920s bungalow and was named one of the 10 most gorgeous boutiques in the country by Veranda in 2019. During the summer of 2020, while spending time in Southern California with family, Nicole and Henry turned their endless days of sheltering in place into a fashion collaboration. The result is the 33.9 sneaker.

This poignant fashion launch encompasses yet another generation: Nicole’s father, Bill Musselman, a legendary NCAA and NBA basketball coach who came up with an innovative defense strategy. In 1969, he wrote a book titled 33.9 in tribute to his record-breaking NCAA season when the opposing team averaged only 33.9 points per game. Basketball still runs through the veins of the Musselman family today: Nicole’s brother, Eric, is head men’s basketball coach at the University of Arkansas.

When chatting with the mother-son duo, it’s hard not to recall the theme song from the early-aughts series The O.C.: “California, here we come.” Nicole’s easy, breezy golden-girl genes were passed along to her son; Henry is a tousled-blond junior at the St. Mark’s School, with proven skills on the lacrosse field and affection for boards, both skate and surf. He recognized that a niche existed for cool footwear that could work for surfing concrete sidewalks or simply kicking it with friends.

Place your order now, before you find yourself on backorder — the 33.9 sneaker will drop each month with new color variations leading up to March Madness. Best of all, Koch donates 33.9 percent of all sales to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.