Mudbug Merch

Crawfish Dunk Low

Pride of place has reached the subculture of sneaker aficionados, though if you can sell five hundred $100 sneakers in one day, like local skateboard apparel company Rukus did in August last year (an additional ten thousand were sold on Nike’s website in one day), then sneaker collectors are more mainstream than one would think. The ruckus that Rukus created was caused by a skateboard shoe that employee Hunter Hulin designed around crawfish boils. Created as part of Nike’s SB Dunk Low line, the “Crawfish” sneaker’s bright red-and-yellow color scheme camouflages well on a table piled with boiled crawfish and corn; and the newspaper detail on the side of the shoe is a clever tell that a native boy designed these kicks. Rukus Owner Ronnie Saurage, who compared the sneaker-collecting craze to Beanie Babies, said that high-concept, limited-release sneakers are bought like investments, pieces of art that rise in value. As it happens, Saurage said the store has about a dozen pairs of the Crawfish sneaker in stock at time of press; for $110, you could own a very unique collector’s item … if there are any left. 5601 Jones Creek Road. (225) 755-3970.

‘Tis the Saison

If you were a brewery whose beers were borne out of bayou culture, crafted to pair perfectly with the étouffées, gumbos, and, yes, crawfish boils of South Louisiana, then you would not be the type of brewery to open a bottle of said beer without the proper paraphernalia. That explains why Bayou Teche Brewery developed three bottle openers that were equal to the task at hand, one of which is a crawfish-shaped bar blade that will properly pop the top of your Saison d’écrevisses (but will also do a respectable job on any other beer you have on hand). You can buy these on their website at bayoutechebrewing.com for $15. Also available are classic (with the LA31 logo) and fiddle-shaped versions.

Iconic Style

A crawfish polo? Absolutely. Crawfish ties and baseball caps? Logical extension. A crawfish belt? Why not? But should we draw the line at crawfish cufflinks? Honestly, if you’re going in, then you may as well go all in. The outfitter for all these essential South Louisiana wardrobe pieces is Perlis Clothing, a seventy-five-year-old clothier that opened its New Orleans store in 1939 selling men’s apparel. The crawfish first made its appearance on polos in 1972 due to a shortage of the iconic Lacoste knits. Now, Perlis has locations in Baton Rouge (which opened in the old Cohn Turner in 2013) and Mandeville. In addition to its crawfish-emblazoned clothing, which they produce for men, women, and children, Perlis also produces Mardi Gras-themed clothing. Shop their selection at any of their brick-and-mortars or visit the store online at perlis.com.