CNCPTS & New Balance's Techy Sneaker Revisits a Great Concept
Does New Balance and CNCPTS upcoming 1906 collaboration look familiar to you? Well, if you have a photographic memory or remarkable sneaker knowledge, you’ll notice that it’s a modern interpretation of their 2012 collaboration. (However, for most of us, it’s simply another great-looking take on New Balance’s techy 1906 model)
The 1906 ‘Hours and Days’ sneaker takes its suede fabrication and color choices from elements of a 2012 collaboration between CNCPTS and New Balance, the 999 ‘SEAL’ (meanwhile, the 999 SEAL took inspiration from U.S. military shoes).
The mix of grey and brown hues contrasted with navy blue detailing are features brought over from the 2012 model onto this new release.
However, the 1906 does bring some new elements to the mix such as pistachio green panelling and reflective accents — this is a modern interpretation of the 999’s colorway after all, not a direct copy.
An ode to a grailed sneaker, CNCPTS found a fittingly iconic figure to reveal its new shoe: Robert ‘The Raven’ Kraft.
Kraft has laced up his sneakers and run eight miles on Miami Beach every day since January 1, 1975, running through seven hurricanes, 103-degree heat, and 114 pairs of shoes. He has run enough to circle the globe six times.
“Once I heard about Raven and his story, it felt right to include him in our campaign,” says CNCPTS Creative Director Deon Point. “It all started to make sense in bridging the gap between old and new with our bring back of the SEAL."
The campaign for this release also includes a younger runner, Tashawn Richards from New York, reaffirming the theme of mixing the old with the new.
While the 1906 was initially a running shoe, its current iterations are designed more for casual use (that’s not to say that its N-ergy shock absorbing outsole and Stability Web for added arch support wouldn’t come in useful for some casual training). The latest fashion-focused 1906 collaboration releases August 2 at 11 am ET exclusively via CNCPTS.
And this isn’t the only old-school running shoe the retailer has in the pipeline, there’s also gradient-print ASICS to come.
