The Junya Watanabe x New Balance Shoe That Doesn't Look Like Junya Watanabe or New Balance
Junya Watanabe's New Balance Minimus UX200 sneaker doesn't really look like a Junya Watanabe sneaker. It barely looks like a New Balance, either.
Heck, it's barely even there.
First revealed in July as part of Watanabe's Spring/Summer 2025 runway show, the Junya Watanabe x New Balance Minimus UX200 — first releasing on New Balance's site and stores March 21 — is a super-flat sneaker offered in tonal white and black colorways.
It recalls the similarly squashed MT100 shoe that New Balance has recently begun emphasizing but, with its wafer-thin Vibram sole, Watanabe's NB UX200 is possible even sleeker.
This is an odd New Balance shoe for Watanabe to take on. Though he historically enjoys a sleek New Balance collab, the mostly forgotten Minimus UX200 training shoe is overtly technical.
Watanabe tends towards retro runners accented with suede or throwback cues and, though they may be sleek, they're typically quite classic. No visible tech or overt functionality.
Watanabe did introduce the world to New Balance's sneaker-loafer, however, so we know there's some precedence for futuristic footwear in his mostly classic world.
Still, New Balance's Minimus UX200 is so slim and mesh-y that it resembles few other NB collaborations in Watanabe's resume — and few other NB sneakers, period.
Most of the recent New Balance collaborations of note, from Stone Island to baseball great Shohei Ohtani have trended towards chunkier silhouettes that feel quintessentially New Balance. Leave it to Watanabe to break the mold.
