This week, MORPRIME Industries will be covering our top five releases of 2020 residing beneath another five separate umbrellas; PUMA, NEW BALANCE, ADIDAS, NIKE and a calamatus miscellaneous combining NUMEROUS brands outside of this foursome. Of course some opinions will differ -- which is to be expected! All we ask is for an injection of CONVERSATION and healthy DEBATE in that little comment section below…
Second in line, 1906’s legacy and a brand that truly put BOSTON on the map -- New Balance.
Did we put a foot wrong? Any misfires? Let your feelings be known below!
JJJOUND 992: Some see JJJJOUND as an entity, an existential oddity whom effortlessly collaborates on footwear collections with PREMIUM levels of execution. New Balance’s 992 has been a core focal point in 2020’s sneakerverse, with Justin Saunders dropping two autumnally relevant iterations of this CHUNKY RUNNER. Whilst Saunders’ prefers to take a publicity-ducking back seat, his NB certainly shirk no limelight.
CASABLANCA OG 327: One of the few POSITIVES to come from 2020, is an array of silhouettes birthed in New Balance’s design LAB. We covered the 327’s debut collaboration with CASABLANCA late last year, where it left a lasting impression on the entire MORPRIME team. Charaf Tajer’s Parisian and North American roots are always on full blast when the creative juices flow, meaning it comes as no surprise that the self-taught designer previously worked at Pigalle, Off White and Supreme, capping 2020 with an LVMH prize shortlisting. Great job, beautifully balanced from eyelet to outsole.
KITH 992: From humble beginnings tending to the stockroom at his Uncle’s DAVID-Z retailer, Ronnie Fieg quite literally sculpted runners-culture into the New Balance and ASICS ridden chunk-fest we see today. This 992 utilised a navy-mono palette that led nicely from his debut denim collection on the big stage.
SALEHE BEMBURY 2002: NO introduction needed, Salehe currently sits at the head of Versace’s footwear design table and this was his first sneaker brand collaboration… so far. It has been heralded by many as the glimmer of hope in what was otherwise a miserably repetitive and subjectively negative year, he opted for an expert concoction of premium materials and tangerine tones.
550 ALD: New Balance allowed fashion-house AIME LEON DORE from Queens, NYC to take on what was the brand’s most significant basketball retro of 2020; taking their 550 Oxford out of 1989’s long-forgotten top draw and not changing a single thing. There were four iterations on offer, a readily available blood-red with navy, forest green and grey only obtainable via an ALD raffle win.