New Balance is on a roll and I'm not just talkin' about the Rollbar! Ha ha ha. Sigh. But, really, the fact of the matter is that the Boston-based footwear company is killing it and its latest 2002R sneakers are proof.
Not only can the New Balance 550 do no wrong, but New Balance is already rolling out the brand new RC30 and remixing its 237 silhouette to provide plenty of retro-cool silhouettes for contemporary tastes.
And that's to say nothing of the red-hot 2002R collabs and one-off models that're rolling out nearly every week.
The latest of which is this handsome 2002R fitted with GORE-TEX lining and a grey suede upper that's delicately faded to perfection.
As a fan of lived-in fabrications, I do so enjoy me a well-worn-looking shoe, even though this thing is literally brand new. Plus, the suede's light hue goes a long way towards reiterating the 2002R's old-school ethos.
It does, however, camouflage the sneaker's key feature, which is embroidered on the toe: this thing is fitted with GORE-TEX and thus entirely protected against water. All-terrain footwear!
Available for ¥24,200 (approximately $175) via Undefeated, ESSENCE, FREAK'S STORE, and UNITED ARROWS' websites, the GORE-TEX 2002R will come in a couple more colorways but this is the best one.
Except, perhaps for a rumored collaborative colorway coming from N.HOOLYWOOD and INVINCIBLE. The former, a longstanding Japanese clothing brand, and the latter, a stalwart Taiwanese retailer, already came together for a pretty crazy 2002R that crazily fused the throwback silhouette with a 990 .
The new 2002R isn't quite as nutty but the shoe does come in a handsome blue suede and the requisite GORE-TEX so who could complain? The perfect daily driver in a perfect colorway.
