The super-flat, Vibram-soled Minimus sneaker has fallen into the hands of New Balance’s Tokyo Design Studio — the American label’s creative lab for experimentation. And it has become an entirely different footwear proposition.

The inherently sporty essence of the climbing shoe has all but disappeared under the direction of New Balance TDS, replaced by a more minimal design. 

While the grippy Vibram sole unit from the Minimus MT1000 remains intact, the shoe’s upper is a simple, hairy suede body with no-sew overlays and a toggle lace system.

It’s kinda like a house shoe crossed with a climbing shoe.

Official information about New Balance Tokyo Design Studio’s understated climbing shoe is yet to surface — currently, it has only been teased by New Balance Senior Global Project Manager Yenny Hseih via Instagram — but you can expect it to hit the market later this year.

Following on from pared-back, fashion-forward iterations of the shoe presented in 2024 (most notably in collaborations with Issey Miyake and Junya Watanabe) this is a new degree of minimalism for the Minimus. 

And it comes at a good time, appetite for the barefoot climbing shoe has never been bigger.The Minimus is having a moment in the sneaker industry.

A product of the flat-soled sneaker boom, New Balance’s climbing shoes are being seen in a different light. On top of the aforementioned fashion collaborations, the model has been redesigned by rapper-turned-sportswear designer Action Bronson and Renell Medrano's Ice Studios label, adding weight to its stylish rebrand. 

After years of chunky New Balance dad shoes dominating the sneaker landscape, it’s a dramatic switch seeing the brand put its fantastically flat footwear in the limelight. But, such is the extreme nature of fashion trends.