New Balance USA 'Tall Tales' Pack

Another day another New Balance. The brand really are making even greater strides than the previous 2 years could have forecast, it seems everything coming out of the NB camp whichever side of the ocean seems to be gold. This trio of terrifically crafted 574's makes up the American Made 'Tall Tales' Pack. Each take their colorway inspiration from a male icon of US folklore and with rich suede and mesh uppers and as always with NB a high quality finish I really all three, tracking them down in the UK could be an issue though...


Johnny Appleseed

John Henry


Paul Bunyon

Nonnative x New Balance CM997/8's

Picked these up from the good folks at Foot Patrol this week, thought it would be ironic to photograph them out in the snow, kind of like putting a camel in the arctic! Hugely impressed by the quality of the materials and I know there have been complaints about the toe box on these but once they are on the feet they look good in proportion...

Nonnative x New Balance CM997

Nonnative are in my opinion one of the best brands out there right now you only need to look at their current collection to want to remortgage your house to buy it all. This preview of their upcoming collaboration with the mighty New Balance is absolutely beautiful. Taking inspiration from the shifting sand dunes of Morocco the multi tonal upper alone is epic but with the addition of the splash of persian blue on the outsole this really does take this colorway to a whole new level. Available in early January this will be my first purchase of 2012 for sure, this is a seriously top notch shoe and it deserves major appreciation...

New Balance 996 Black/Grey

After the buzz of the Salmon Toe release what next for Ronnie Fieg and Kith NYC. Well with the official store opening only two days away are quickly building a formidable repertoire. Although the Kith Set are marking their launch with two custom New Balance colorways on the American made 574 model something else has caught my eye. I previewed these New Balance 996's back in May 2010, so i'm not sure where these have been hiding since but I have not seen them on offer anywhere else since. I love the use of the black leather on the upper which splits the purple suede and gives it the feeling of a saddle shoe, this coupled with the really good quality grey mesh which is one of my favourite features on any good New Balance these are the perfect winter colorway, and are available now via KithNYC online...

Distinct Life x New Balance "30 for 30" Recap

For those of you who haven't been following Distinct Life and their 30 for 30 campaign in which Burn Rubber co-founder Rick Williams rocked a different pair of New Balance everyday of June. Showcasing some of the best past, present and also future models. The final day saw the announcement of the 2012 Burn Rubber x New Balance collaboration and although they won't show us the product the hype created from a brilliant project means it is definitely one to look out for. Enjoy the recap video some really amazing footwear on show...

A.P.C. x New Balance 576's

French brand A.P.C. are no stranger to collaborations and there are 2 things you can rely on in all cases, great quality and simplicity. The New Balance 576 is undoubtedly a classic shape and it shines through in the two simple premium suede colour ups. Although these probably won't jump off the page at you they are guaranteed like most of A.P.C's product line to never go out of date...

Concepts x New Balance 999

This pair of New Balance 999's has been doing the rounds since its appearance on the cover of the Issue of SneakerFreaker. Finally the day is dawning for their release, the nautical inspiration is beautifully realised and the colorway has got to be one of the best i've seen in a while. Very simple primary colours from nautical alphabet flags accent the simple grey/tan leather and suede uppers. Coming with a host of goodies these release at CNCPTS on April 16th. No word on a European release but I would say FootPatrol and Hanon will be your best bets...

New Balance 'Made In England' 1500's

Although I could not make it to the Bread and Butter trade show this January much to my dismay, there has been plenty of coverage of the new collections. This set of New Balance 1500's are due for release in 2011 and not look great but are 'Made in England' nice to see the Flimby factory getting the credit they deserve...

La MJC & Colette x New Balance 1500

Dubbed 'Vivre Sans Temps Mort' or 'Life Without Dead Time' this very special New Balance 1500 model pays tribute to the now deceased website wesoldout.com founded jointly by parisians La MJC and Colette. The simple red/white/grey colorway is perfect for the lines of the 1500 and the mahogany leather around the ankle is just inspired, dropping on December 18th at Colette and La MJC, and Hanon...

New Balance x Ldt. Edition M577

Singapores Limited Editions bring us their armed forces inspired M577. The shoes feature a combination of crocodile and metallic leathers. Made at New Balance’s legendary Flimby factory here in the UK ensures top quality and the colors are exceptional. A global launch is set for November 20th...

New Balance 1500 'Binary'

Winner of Frontine and New Balance's design a 1500 model winner Tomat3 shows off the spoils of his victory a 1of1 two tone suede goliath, I think they are great esspeically with the binary tongue which signifies '1984' the year of his and my birth, that would make a great tattoo...

Military Trainers...

We all have seen the recent resurge in military styling, and this has been by no means overlooked by the shoe companies, this new colaboration between Converse and UNDFTD marks a big year for this style, here's a few of the highlights...

New Balance NB1500 'Desert Storm'


Converse x UNDFTD Poorman's Weapon



Reebok Omni Lite MA-1

Sneaker Brogue Hybrids

Although the idea of taking elements from classic shoes and bringing them into the sneaker market is not a new idea, recently we have seen the continual influence of the new brogue explosion filtering through. Most notably on the recent Adidas Micropacer Brogue which in all honesty I wish i'd picked up myself, but don't think this is the last we've seen of these hybrid designs...


DC Sector 7WT (Life Collection 2009)


New Balance 576 x Foot The Coacher (Japanese release Mid-June 2010)

New Balance 576 'Pub Pack'

New Balance have announced the release of their 'Pub Pack' with 3 colorways of the popular 576 model. All based on English Pubs (which is awesome) they are all decked out in premium leather with off white outsoles, and a selection of inner materials giving each its own vintage boozer look. They will be available from Crooked Tongues and Hanon in July, The Red Lion is my local definately...

New Balance 996, 998 and 587

New Balance drops continue at a staggering rate this spring with this 3 pack consisting of the 996, 998 and 587. Shying away from the bold designs of some of the other big brands they stick to the pastel colorschemes which have brought them so much past success, I love the 99's but not a fan of the 587 shape in general...

New Balance Sonic Welded Pack

New Balance have been kicking out alot of releases this Spring, most of you will have got excited by the M1300JPN's this month, but some of the other releases have been distinstly average. Thankfully this new Pack of the NB574 Model hits the spot nicely, the model utilises Sonic Welding which uses heat to mold the sections of suede and mesh together, it reduces stitching and creates a really clean looking design, release should be very soon at selected retailers...

eYe Junya Watanabe x New Balance 576

This collaboration continues the eYe JUNYA WATANABE COMME des GARÇONS collections outdoor and workwear orientated theme. Based on the Red Leather workboot I just absolutely love the how well the colour and laces which compliment the NB 576 siloutte, expect a hefty price tag (around £150)...