This article was published on November 30 and updated on December 27
Expect the unexpected when it comes to Stone Island. The 40-year-old company doesn't play by anyone else's rulebook — when you expect Stoney to zig, it zags. In that way, the sudden launch of Stone Island's New Balance 574 collaboration is textbook, if anything Stone Island can ever be considered "textbook."
Stone Island's first New Balance sneaker, for instance, was a deconstructed take on the technical FuelCell RC Elite running shoe that proved so unexpected that fans almost didn't know how to react. No grey area, no "like," it was love or hate.
That's just fine by Stoney.
"If you give people what they want, you are late to the game," Stone Island CEO Carlo Rivetti recently told Highsnobiety earlier this year. "If you want to give them something different — not that you shouldn’t care about the market — but you should see what’s missing."
That being said, Stone Island's New Balance 574 Legacy should prove far more accessible than its predecessor.
The shoe is almost too perfectly wearable, what with its tonal grey colorway, hairy suede upper, and slightly chunky sole unit afford by the 574 Legacy model.
The only thing that's gonna be hard to swallow as far the Stone Island New Balance 574 goes is its scarcity. In late November, Highsnobiety learned exclusively that the collaborative sneaker saw limited release on the first day of Art Basel 2022 at Stone Island's Miami store, for instance.
Only an extremely limited number of Stone Island's NB 574 were available, but you can expect a wider release "later this winter" according to a brand rep.
Rumors point to January 5 — nothing official there yet, though.
Stone Island's New Balance 574 was initially revealed by rapper Dave before the grand unveiling of Stone Island's debut New Balance football kit.
As always, you can only expect the unexpected. First, Stone Island and New Balance dish some wildly divisive running shoes, then Stone Island selects arguably the most approachable New Balance ever made as its follow-up.
The only guarantee is that the sneakers will instantly sell out, wherever it drops.
