New Balance 577BGP x LFSTL ‘Kakkerlak’

The New Balance 577BGP x LFSTL ‘Kakkerlak’ or ‘Cockroach’ when translated is one of my favourite and most treasured pairs, it’s also one of the pairs that many collectors class as a ‘grail’ if you must.

This pair was released in 2008 and designed by the guys from LFSTL, a boutique based in Rotterdam, Holland, and it pays particular homage to their city. Although the shoe is nicknamed after the cockroach, which is widely regarded as one of the most ‘dirty’ or ‘disgusting’ bugs there are, it has a certain meaning that the residents of Rotterdam can relate to.

A cockroach can adapt itself to it’s surrounding, and they even have the ability to survive some of the most severe bombings, much like the City of Rotterdam did in World War II, and this 577 make-up is a testament to that rebuilding phase and the City skyline. The ‘petrol’ colour symbolises the industry and harbour, as well as the river that splits the city in half, the grey, black and white represents common colours in Rotterdam’s architecture and the purple inner lining draws a link to the city’s ‘open-minded’ character.

As always with a collaboration, you expect the materials to be premium, and the Kakkerlak certainly doesn’t fall fault of that, with the use of pigskin suede, premium croc leather, perf suede, white patent and even everyone’s favourite gum sole to add contrast to the darkened midsole. Also, as an added touch, the cockroach image on the insoles and also the underside of the box lid are also a very nice extra touch.

The shoe itself is relatively hard to come by now, with value ranging into the high hundreds of pounds, many people are keen to keep a hold of their pair or sell for a high price, so good luck if you’re trying to find them. There are also a number of samples of this particular pair, which fair enough is common for most shoes, however, there’s rumoured to be possibly a double figured amount, only three of which I’ve seen, so I’m guessing the rest are with the guys in the Netherlands. (I’ve included some photos of the samples at the end of the post)

Check out some shots below;