No Detail Is Too Small for This New Balance "Dunk" Skate Shoe
For its debut collaboration with New Balance Numeric, No-Comply has recreated its Austin-based skate shop in sneaker form. And it's done so with a painstaking eye for detail.
The most obvious carryover from No-Comply’s small, independent store is the color. The forest green walls inside the shop are converted onto the premium leather and suede of New Balance’s 480 skate shoe.
The store's accompanying wood paneling can be seen in the 480’s gold-hued stitching on the sole (similar to that found on the sole of a Dr. Martens boot), and the deep purple of the NB Numeric 480 logo comes from the shop’s floor.
The details even extend into the inside of the shoe. On the insoles is an original artwork by Josh & Me that reinterprets the art found in the shop’s fitting room.
New Balance Numeric’s 480 sneaker, a vintage Nike Dunk-esque basketball shoe turned skate model, becomes a full-blown tribute to a skate shop open in Austin, Texas, since 2007. It releases in-store on October 25 at 10 am (though any remaining pairs will be available online at 7 pm CST) before a worldwide release on October 31.
One of the standout sneakers amongst New Balance’s skate offerings, the New Balance 480 has become a much-collaborated-on model. And, while undeniably handsome, No-Comply's version is comparatively muted.
Previous New Balance 480 collaborations have included color-changing iridescent fabrics and squiggly mushroom-inspired textures. Here, the skate shoe gets a tasteful green update with a bunch of hidden IYKYK details.
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