I think it’s fair to say that many of us have been waiting for the Flimby section of New Balance to start working on collaborations with the European ‘big hitters’, so to speak. Not long ago the ‘Danish Weather Pack’ was released, where Norse Projects collaborated on two UK made 1500’s, but both these shoes were a far cry from their 670 back in 2009.
Anyway, as news broke that New Balance would be collaborating with Sneakersnstuff, Firmament, hanon and 24 Kilates, there was a great deal of anticipation, only for that to maybe be ruined a bit when it was announced that it wouldn’t be an ever popular running model, but instead, a tennis shoe.
Phrases like, “these colourways would look great on a 1500.. or a 577”, alright, fair enough, but then what’s the point in ruining a good colourway by using it on a model that is going to be bulky and banana-like? You have previous 577’s and 1500’s from SNS and hanon, and putting these colourways onto those models in 2014 would result in a shoe a million miles away from their past efforts.. that’s something that I’m sure of.. at least until there is shape changes at Flimby – granted you may not be bothered about the shape.
However, if you’re willing to look past the non-runner scenario, then the timing of the New Balance CT300 collaborations is perfect, with the grass court tennis season well underway and Wimbledon starting on the 23rd of June.
The CT300 was first released in 1979, and it was one of the first tennis shoes to be produced by New Balance, and one which offered a great deal of cushioning and durability on court. This classic court shoe is making a big return and all pairs are hand-crafted using only the most premius of materials at the Flimby factory.
Below you can check out a video produced for the release, which visits Aberdeen, Stockholm, Berlin and Barcelona, to talk about the shoes:
From left to right, the shoes below to 24 Kilates, Firmament, hanon, and SNS, but just to make sure, I’ve taken some screenshots from the video and posted them below.
Firmament:
hanon shop:
Sneakersnstuff:
24 Kilates:
Each shoe is set to release at their respective stores on Friday the 27th of June, and then look for a wider release the following week, but these shoes have been produced in limited quantities so don’t hesitate!
Keep an eye out for further information with regards to release details in the coming week as the stores get ready for their launch, but we hear the retail price will be around £105-£110.
thomaslindie 