ARTICLE BY Adam Jane
New Balance 580 Illustration
New Balance 247 Luxe
New Balance 247 Luxe White
New Balance 247 Luxe Tan 1
New Balance 247 Luxe Tan
,New Balance 247 Luxe Black
New Balance 247 Friends And Fam
New Balance 247 Friends And Fam 2
New Balance 710
New Balance Norse
New Balance Niobium
New Balance Trailbuster
New Balance Ubiq
New Balance Reigning Champ
New Balance Grenson
New Balance Epic Tr City
New Balance Danner 585
,New Balance Ball And Buck
New Balance Ms066
New Balance Ms066 3
New Balance Ms066 2
New Balance Tassie Tiger
New Balance 997 5 Ronnie Fieg
New Balance 997 5 Horween
New Balance 990 V2
New Balance Concepts
New Balance Jcrew 997
Packer Shoes New Balance 999 Tan 5 700X468 1
New Balance 99 X Museum
,New Balance 580 Xy
New Balance 580 Reengineered
New Balance 580 Knit
New Balance 580 Hypebeast
New Balance 580 Colette

2016 Highlight Reel: New Balance

There’s no doubt that New Balance have had plenty of attention this year. Hard core NB heads have had numerous occasions to drain their bank accounts, while plenty of uninitiated had reason to enjoy their first taste of the N. Ventures into unknown territory saw NB turn out some fresh tech and some innovative products, while old friendships and new connections turned out all kinds of crazy colabs.

580

New Balance 580 Xy
580XY
New Balance 580 Reengineered
580 Reengineered
New Balance 580 Knit
580 Reengineered Knit
New Balance 580 Colette
Colette x New Balance 580
New Balance 580 Hypebeast
Hypebeast x New Balance 580

The revival of the 580 is the exclamation mark of New Balance’s 2016. In celebration of the trail blazing off-roader’s 20th silhouette the 580 was the object of some heavy hitting colabs, a deconstructed version, a reengineered remake and a knitted makeup. The colab role call reads like a who’s-who of international sneaker culture, with names like mitaPackerWings + HornsColetteand Hypebeast. It’s good to have the rugged trail runner back on track.

99X

New Balance Tassie Tiger
Sneaker Freaker x NB 997.5 'Tassie Tiger'
,
New Balance Jcrew 997
J.Crew x NB 997
New Balance Concepts
Concepts x NB 998
Packer Shoes New Balance 999 Tan 5 700X468 1
Packer x NB 999
New Balance 990 V2
990V2
New Balance 997 5 Horween
997.5 Horween Leather
New Balance 997 5 Ronnie Fieg
Ronnie Fieg x NB 997.5
New Balance 99 X Museum
99X Museum by Up There Store

When you step into the 99x-files, you’re getting into some serious stuff. There are crew out there with encyclopaedic knowledge of the series, so when Up There Store launched their 99x museum we were there to soak it all up. Counting backwards from 999998997 – the respective colab models from Packer, Concepts and J.Crew kept our wallets slim. The return of the 990v2 was a highlight among a load of niners, and the all grey 995 was a treat. The hybridised 997.5 received the most attention with a handful of GR colourways, two fresh Ronnie Fieg colabs and (of course) the greatest New Balance release of the year – the Sneaker Freaker x NB Tassie Tiger.

MS066

New Balance Ms066
New Balance MS066
New Balance Ms066 3
New Balance MS066
New Balance Ms066 2
New Balance MS066

Back in early November New Balance came through with a crazy looking shoe that took us all by surprise. The MS066 was NB’s fervent foray into the future of sneaker manufacturing, with a full 3D printed cellular midsole and knitted upper. The production was limited to 40 pairs, sold exclusively through New York boutique Concepts. You may have missed out on the initial offering but we’d say this is a good sign for things to come.

More Colabs

,New Balance Epic Tr City
Epic TR City Pack
New Balance Grenson
Grenson x NB 576
New Balance Danner 585
Danner x NB 585
New Balance Ubiq
UBIQ x NB 1600
New Balance Reigning Champ
Reigning Champ x NB 530
New Balance Ball And Buck
Ball and Buck x NB 585

There’s no doubt that New Balance have always been on top of their colab game and this year’s partnerships were no exception. Their Epic TR City Pack was a killer foursome of football inspired sneakers, each paying tribute to the locality of the select collaborators. Then they mixed up the footwear game by collaborating with Grenson and Danner – prolific makers of dress shoes and boots – which gave us some top quality product. UBIQ created a pair of 1600s fit for a king, Reigning Champ lifted the 530 game while Ball and Buck reimagined the gentleman’s 585.

The Call of the Wild

New Balance Trailbuster
Trailbuster Reengineered
New Balance 710
710
New Balance Niobium
Niobium Boot
New Balance Norse
Norse Projects x NB Rainier Boot

There was a definite wilderness theme to a lot of releases this year and NB were all over it. The Trailbuster Reengineered took us for a run on the wild side – while newly optimised boot styles – such as the 710Niobium Boot and the Rainier Boot – helped us reach new ground.

247

New Balance 247 Friends And Fam 2
247 Friends and Family
,New Balance 247 Friends And Fam
247 Friends and Family
New Balance 247 Luxe
247 Luxe Pack
New Balance 247 Luxe White
247 Luxe
New Balance 247 Luxe Black
247 Luxe
New Balance 247 Luxe Tan 1
247 Luxe

Here’s the big one – New Balance have capped off the year by introducing the 247. The all new style is the product of decades of development and innovation, combining three of the best – the 1300JP998 and 576 – to create an all new super-shoe. The sleek, modern silhouette is built with history and infused with performance – illustrating the evolution of NB style. The super limited friends and fam drop had a production of a mere 247 pairs so the upcoming 247 Luxe will be a relief to all those looking to get their hands on the new silhouette. We don’t think that’ll be the last wee see of the new NB.

Now Reading2016 Highlight Reel: New Balance

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