For SS26, Junya Watanabe & New Balance Bulk Up
For Spring/Summer 2026, Junya Watanabe MAN ditches sleek silhouettes in favor of something meatier underfoot. Specifically, the Japanese designer's menswear line is taking on the chunky, curved New Balance WRPD Runner.
Spotted on the Paris Fashion Week runway in a crisp white colorway, the Junya Watanabe x New Balance WRPD Runner sneaker’s bulbous, mech-suit-like shape marks a sharp pivot from the streamlined New Balance Minimus UX200L Watanabe debuted back in March 2025.
This latest collaboration leans into the signature elements that define New Balance's WRPD shoe which include a sculptural, oversized silhouette anchored by a full-length FuelCell midsole. It’s a far cry from the slim, retro-futuristic Minimus, which felt like a wafer-thin remix of a '90s runner.
Watanabe lets things breathe and bulk up. The all-white WRPD Runner features co-branded tongue details and was styled with a shirtless suiting look that nails Watanabe’s brand of casually tailored rebellion.
And the Junya Watanabe New Balance wasn’t the only shoe packing extra mass. A special edition of the CamperLab Tormenta shoe also made an appearance, offering its own thick, high-concept spin on performance footwear.
Like the collection itself, which was filled with poetically distorted Americana and some new-school classic cardigans, Watanabe's New Balance and CamperLab shoes felt both archival and futuristic, quirkily ahead of the curve by being slightly behind it.
It's very Watanabe, even if the beefy New Balance WRPD Runner doesn't quite feel like it. But that's the beauty of Watanabe's all-encompassing world.
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