Brand: TOKYO DESIGN STUDIO x New Balance
Model: FuelCell RC Elite v2
Release Date: Available now, further release via New Balance on September 3
Price: £240 (approx. $290)
Buy: Online at New Balance and Slam Jam
Editor's Notes: Although the loud minority may lead you to believe that Stone Island's New Balance FuelCell RC Elite V2 was a flop, its success, subsequent restocks, and additional colorways prove otherwise.
If you've kept up with SI's footwear collaborations throughout its history, you'd know that it generally played it safe. Its early New Balance team-ups certainly catered to the tastes of its casual and terrace style tribes; the football fans, lovers of clobber.
As Stone Island has matured over the years, its experimental nature has only intensified, leading it to go beyond its boundaries and test the waters with new and exciting products, fabrications, and collaborations. With that, the divisive nature of its New Balance FuelCell RC Elite V2 shouldn't come as much surprise. It took a risk, and seemingly, it paid off.
Thanks to that punt, the silhouette is here to stay, and the first to thrust it back into the spotlight is TOKYO DESIGN STUDIO.
TOKYO DESIGN STUDIO has played an integral part in crafting some of New Balance's most exciting contemporary silhouettes. It's no stranger to the more weird and wonderful side of design, making it a natural pick to keep the FuelCell RC Elite V2 in check.
Without Stone Island's involved hand, the graphic toebox is stripped of compass branding, instead, both sneakers come matched with the new NB wings. A balanced pairing of grey and blue touched up with blocks of white, makes this collaborative effort a great addition to seasonal rotations.
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