Forget that Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial — Bon Iver know how to tug at your animal-loving heartstrings for charity without tossing you into a pit of despair.
Using a video replete with adorable kittens and dogs and set to Bon Iver’s “Babys,” Justin Vernon and shoe company Keep have teamed up to raise money for the Best Friends Animal Society by selling a pair of shoes that the Grammy-winning musician designed. “Using our trademark Ramos silhouette, the Keep + Bon Iver limited edition shoe features herringbone accents, a black fishbone detail across the toe, and a canvas upper custom dyed to a perfect pale salmon,” reads the description of the kicks (we assume no salmons were used to make the dye).
The Best Friends society is home to the largest sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals, and the video stars a few of its rescues. There are the cats (Toots, Teca, Orange Roughy, and Peanut Butter Face) and the dogs (Toni and BB), who can be seen frolicking and swimming, just silently begging you to buy these sneakers, which cost $75.
The cause is apparently near and dear to Vernon, who is the proud human for two rescued cats, Melmon and Flo. At least this campaign will bring him less grief than his Bushmills endorsement, which he also used to raise money for charity. Kittens always help that way.
