JJJJound is on a hot streak. New Balance is on a hot streak. JJJJound and New Balance are on a hot streak together. What better way to end a banner year (on both counts) than with a banger sneaker collab?
Now JJJJound has already done New Balance's 2002 much good service but the Canadian company's GORE-TEX New Balance shoe takes things to another level. And by takes things to another level, I mean that JJJJound and New Balance have designed another monochrome shoe except this time is has GORE-TEX lining and a shoelace lock for easy-on.
As some people say: now you're talkin'!
We already knew that JJJJound and New Balance were working on GORE-TEX 2002r sneakers, to be fair, having already seen first looks at the collaborative shoes back in, like, November or so (along with some KITH NBs, Carhartt WIP NBs, those Levi's 580s... man, New Balance really has been killing it, collaboratively).
That first pair of forthcoming JJJJound x New Balance 2002 shoes were nice enough in their green suede and neutral black panels but how to improve even that already appreciably ordinary shoe?
Make it in grey, of course.
The first-look photos of JJJJound's next New Balance shoe collab reveal an appropriately understated sneaker in grey suede and black mesh, looking as conventional as any in-line colorway (as is JJJJound's wont) except elevated to the EXTREME with the aforementioned GORE-TEX lining and shoelace locks.
In all seriousness, JJJJound's mild tweaks don't always make for thrilling collaborations but its subtle improvements go a long way here.
Neither of the two JJJJound x New Balance GORE-TEX 2002 shoes have a confirmed release date but fans expect the drop to come before end of year, which would make for a very merry Christmas indeed... for those who actually manage to secure the sneakers, at least.
New Balance's 2002r is such a solid shoe that you don't really have to add much to make it that much better: just give it a suitably strong colorway and you're halfway there.
We've seen this done to perfection by creatives like Joe Freshgoods, who elevate timeless New Balance sneakers with strong storytelling and handsome uppers. To splash crazy colors, strange patterns, weird materials, whatever over an otherwise handsome shoe takes away from the power of a perfect silhouette.
This is an ideal example of when less is more. A couple small additions and boom, a great New Balance shoe is made better. This is peak JJJJound and I mean that in a good way.
