For all of New Balance’s crazy sneakers and collaborations, there are plenty of guileless ones too. Sure, New Balance’s elementary designs aren’t ever its most hyped or even its most popular, but more often than not they’re certainly the ones that will stand the test of time.
New Balance’s latest 990v6 colorway is proof of this. To the modern day sneakerhead, it’s yet another classic New Balance silhouette arriving in a rather underwhelming navy and white colorway.
But to me, somewhat of a sneaker traditionalist, New Balance’s navy and white inline 990v6 is the most perfect boring sneaker out there right now.
A sneaker’s popularity is often defined by exclusivity or cost nowadays, yet when it comes to a sneaker like New Balance’s 990, a silhouette that’s been at the center of a multitude of collaborations in its time, a simple inline release in a boring colorway more than fits the bill.
In the last six months alone, the New Balance 990v6 has been reworked by the likes of Carhartt WIP, KITH, and Action Bronson, and while these have sold-out virtually instantaneously, I’ll take one of its inline colorways any day of the week.
I’m not saying I’m adverse to a hyped sneaker (I work for Highsnobiety FGS), but in terms of everyday wearable shoes that look good with almost anything and stand the test of time, you can’t go far wrong with a pair understated New Balance 990v6s.
