Carhartt WIP and New Balance are doing it big once again. About a year after they dropped an appreciably neutral 990v1 sneaker, Carhartt WIP is remixing New Balance's 990v6 shoe with a beautifully beige, workwear-indebted collaborative colorway.
Carhartt WIP & New Balance's 990v6 sneaker, titled "Sculpture Center," feels very now. It's chunky enough to keep in line with the current yen for heavyweight walking shoes and classic enough to satisfy the folks seeking a day-to-day shoe, thanks in no small part to the appreciably versatile colorway.
Thing is, unlike most daily drivers, the Carhartt WIP x New Balance 990v6 sneaker ain't gonna be an easy cop. Quite the opposite, really.
Dropping October 20 via premium footwear-friendly retailers like Voo Store for $220, Carhartt WIP and New Balance's 990v6 shoe is probably gonna fly off shelves at least as quickly as their prior sneaker, a 990v1 that released on September 16, 2022.
That shoe sold out in mere moments and that was a pretty low-key model! Expect Carhartt WIP's 990v6 to fly even faster.
The 990v6 has addition appeal stemming from its body — beefier than the 990v1 — and the brownish hue it wears, complementary to the signature Hamilton Brown that typically graces Carhartt's duck canvas workwear.
With the current state of JJJJound collaborations, you might even ask: did Carhartt WIP cook up an earth-tinged New Balance to beat 'em all?
Sure, JJJJound tends to take a more tonal approach when devising its New Balance collabs. but Carhartt WIP hit a real sweet spot with this shoe.
Though JJJJound's New Balances usually offer texture-rich suede with logos to match, Carhartt WIP's NB 990v6 layers impressively tasteful nubuck layered atop mesh, with a complementarily-toned outsole and 3D Carhartt WIP logo laden atop the collaborative shoe's tongue.
Carhartt WIP has been on a real collaborative hot streak as of late. Let's see, over the past few months alone, Carhartt has partnered with Palace Skateboards, sacai, and AWAKE NY, to name but a few big-time team-ups.
It's about time that Carhartt WIP also dished the top-tier shoe collab it deserves. I mean, the Carhartt Nike sneakers were always fine and same for Carhartt's longstanding Converse friendship but this is the company that co-created one of the most sought-after Jordans ever made.
We all knew Carhartt had it in itself to kick out some great kicks but Carhartt's New Balance 990v6 is an objectively attractive sneaker that's also a testament to that fact.
Plus, as an object, it's strong proof of Carhartt WIP sitting in a real strong position within the current workwear-leaning state of youth culture.
What better to wear with your chore coat and double-knee pants than a workwear-inflected walking shoe?
