New Balance has mastered the art of collaboration This year, the American sportswear brand has created unforgettable collaborative sneakers
In the eternal fight between Nike and adidas, 2020 might have revealed a very valid contender in this war, a brand that, especially in the last twelve months, has elevated the concept of collaboration, making it an integral part of its DNA and taking it to its maximum expression. If in the collective imagination the fame of New Balance is closely connected to mainstream personalities such as Steve Jobs and to that normcore aesthetic that saw its greatest spread in 2014, the brand has been able to expand and overcome its fame as a founding brand of dad shoes trend by becoming one of the most influential voices in the sneaker game through solid silhouettes, with a pure and interesting design, making greys and soft colours its best allies. Although the concept of collaboration is anything but innovative in the sector, New Balance has been able to find personalities and realities that fall into the category of tastemakers, capable of building aesthetics and tastes, whether it be Jaden Smith or small brands that can count on certain cult status.
In the long list of New Balance 992 released this year, many of them are the result of collaborations. We can't start without mentioning the ones co-signed by JoeFreshGoods, a designer from Chicago, who for Valentine's Day worked on a silhouette that recalled the anatomy of the heart and was, therefore, a tribute to love. Subsequently, those with WTAPS, the cult Japanese label, were released, which brought back a historical colourway enriching it with the Ura-Harajuku touch. And again, there was no lack of 992, this time designed by Studio FY7, a creative agency in Paris, which in the sneaker proposed new colourways inspired by the Algerian landscape, affirming its roots with conviction. But in particular, the 992 created together with JJJJound is the most representative collaboration of the year for New Balance. With the addition of the branding of the label founded by Justin Saunders and the reiterations in two sophisticated colourways, the two brands have sublimated their cult status, further elevating their aesthetic codes in a release that sold out immediately.
Finally, 2020 saw an important novelty for New Balance, the choice of a real testimonial, therefore not an athlete, but an artist, the American rapper Jack Harlow. It's the first time that New Balance has made a choice of this type as if until now pop culture wasn't much of an interesting field for the brand, thanks to the game and the reputation that the brand can naturally boast in every sector. On Harlow, on the other hand, NB has bet a lot, first of all finding a true fan of the brand - as said Harlow himself, who owns a large collection of NB silhouettes, the only shoe brand he wears - and making his entry into the world of rap with a video in which the New Balance logo is the real protagonist.
Never before has New Balance been so confident and strong in its identity in the sneaker game, ready to exercise its ability to go beyond cultural and aesthetic boundaries and limits. Now finally landing in the rap scene too.
