New Balance Go Nautical with the Kawhi II ‘Ocean Blue’
eponymous signature sneaker with is now in its second iteration as a slew of new colours are hitting shelves and courts. Following the recent collaboration is this inline edition that steers things in a brighter direction with its nautical ‘Ocean Blue’ inspiration. According to the brand, this watery concept is based on the baller’s ‘go with the flow’ mentality on and off the court.
This sea-faring theme is made obvious by the international maritime signal flags depicted on the tongues of these shoes, which spell out ‘Kawhi’ and ‘Leonard’. The concept is complemented by the bright, almost pastel shading of namesake ‘Ocean Blue’ along the eye stays, forefoot and rear quarter. Furthering the idea is vibrant life jacket orange accents on the tongue, heel and outsole hits.
On the tech front, this model maintains a similar silhouette to the original Kawhi and makes generational updates. ‘The combination of folded Fit Weave Lite, webbing, crafted stitching, and PU film became a unique finishing detail for an otherwise clean and simple aesthetic,’ says Jonathan Grondin, design director of New Balance Basketball.
The Kawhi II ‘Ocean Blue’ will be available from New Balance on May 13. Note that they will be limited to one pair per customer.