Sneaker Freaker and New Balance Put Melbourne in a ‘Moon Daze’ for Grey Day 2023
Last Thursday, Sneaker Freaker and New Balance played host to an epic Grey Day event in Melbourne, celebrating the brand’s grey-test day of the year.
Melbourne media, footwear industry insiders and select mega-fans gathered in a function room by renowned hospitality venue Chin Chin. Guests feasted on a bespoke food and drink menu curated by executive chef and NB fanatic Benjamin Cooper – all inspired by the brand’s signature colour. Think tasty nibbles like popcorn cauliflower served with black garlic mayo and charred lemon to more exotic edibles like squid ink tapioca crisps with kingfish ceviche. Better yet, there was a brand new signature ‘grey’ cocktail to sip on for one night only, which blended gin, lychee, rose water and Earl Grey tea. Yum!
Of course, it wasn’t just the sound of 120ish people chewing that filled Chin Chin. A full musical medley from Melbourne’s finest disc jockeys, singers and performers tag-teamed a killer setlist. JPS, Billy Davis, Jerome Farah, The Menace, Young Shogun, DJ Smilez and NayNay each enthralled the crowd, playing an eclectic mix of ambient, neo-soul and funky house with back-to-back raps sandwiched between. Accompanying visuals by rising projection extraordinaire Isaiah Morris hypnotised eyes and locked them on NB stories.
Speaking of, Morris, Cooper, and Ryan Jones from New Balance comprised a discussion panel moderated by Sneaker Freaker to chat all things grey. It was a thought-provoking conversation that transcended product talk, especially with Morris providing some very philosophical dissections of his creative process and interpretation of grey.
A New Balance Grey Day event isn’t a New Balance Grey Day event without some fresh product to gawk over, so naturally, there was a whole swath of sneakers on show. The extensive ‘Moon Daze’ pack – which includes the 550, 580, 9060 and more – was paraded on elevated plinths. There was also a selection of archival OG grey NBs sourced and curated by Sneaker Freaker, many of which were first-issue 99x models dating back to the mid-1980s!
The ‘Moon Daze’ pack is available right now from New Balance. Celebrate Grey Day 2023 by heading over to cop them all!
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