Yes, indeed. Joe Freshgoods has new New Balances up his sleeves — or below his shorts, I should say.
In August, the Chicago designer revealed his latest Chicago Cub and White Sox apparel and accessories collection on August 4, casually teasing his next New Balance collaboration in the same breath.
Paired with Joe Freshgoods' newest White Sox flame shorts were a pair of tonal white 650s, a high-top New Balance silhouette that Aimé Leon Dore and No Vacancy Inn took for spins in the past.
The scheme alone sort of reminds us of Joe Freshgoods' creamy and coveted 550s from his New Balance creative directorial debut . But his new 650s are even more lowkey (not complaining, by the way).
A month later, in September, Joe Freshgoods pops up with the best look at his New Balance 650 "Stuntman" collab.
A closer examination of the shoes revealed JFG branding on the tongue and upper, while signature New Balance branding landed in their customary spots.
From what we could see, the collaborative New Balance 650 collab also featured leather and suede moments for the upper and some punctured detailing for the co-branded tongue and padded collar.
Known to switch things up with his designs, Joe Freshgoods' New Balance 650 collab sees the design do what he does best — and shake up his storytelling, too.
For clarity, Joe Freshgoods came across a photograph of Michael Jordan wearing New Balance shoes before Jordan Brand snapped up the basketball legend. Interestingly, the image inspired the iconic Jumpman logo.
With that in mind, Joe Freshgoods asked, "What if the story was different?" And so the latest tale in the Joe Freshgoods universe unfolded, presenting a "what if Jordan went to New Balance" 650 collab called Stuntman.
Stuntman. Jumpman. Get it? It's also like a gentle nudge to Joe's bootleg roots comprised of fake Pablo merch and spoof designer logo tees.
Joe Freshgoods' question lingers throughout the 650 collaboration, even appearing on the shoe's special edition packaging.
Expected to release Saturday, September 9 exclusively in Chicago, Joe Freshgoods' New Balance 650 "Stuntman" sneakers will see a limited run of only 500 pairs, each hand-numbered by the Chicago creative himself.
Joe Freshgoods has a way with his collaborative projects, New Balance team-ups included. His work with the Boston-based footwear label often sees impeccable color palettes combined with authentic storytelling, resulting in rotation-ready sneakers like 993 masterpieces to not-so-surface-level 610s.
It's safe to assume these 650s will follow in the same footsteps as Joe Freshgoods' preceding collabs. Basically, we're in for another JFG hit.
This article was published on August 4 and updated on September 8
