There’s been a few times that I’ve sat down and wrote a couple of pieces about ‘leaks’, but I’ve never actually posted one. It’s a touchy subject for all brands/stores together, and for people who initiate leaks when they’re not meant to that represent the brand/store, well, I can’t imagine they’d be in their employer’s good books.
However, it is 2014 and the world has been engulfed in social media, whether it be Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever other social platform there is, so it’s pretty inevitable that leaks are going to happen. It’s not all bad though as the consumer love leaks, and that’s no word of a lie. There’s nothing the next man wants more than a sneak peak at an upcoming collaboration with a store, or a couple of their favourite models from a brand’s unreleased collection let slip and up for sale on eBay. It creates a huge amount of anticipation, and excitement amongst everyone and keeps them talking, which surely for the most part is good for the brand.
Anyway, that’s a discussion for another time, I just wanted a brief introduction before I let loose some of these samples for New Balance Spring/Summer 2015 Collection, which were advertised for sale on eBay and Klekt. This was a month or so ago and they’ve been populating the world wide web ever since, so this isn’t exactly the first time they’ve been seen.
So what’s in store for Spring/Summer 2015? I had seen various pairs from this collection a couple of months before they surfaced on the internet, and only a few had really caught my eye.
Made in USA –
More of the same, that’s for sure, the New Balance 997 is sticking around for a while, and although I welcomed back this model with open arms, much like the 990, it seems like it’s going down the same road – at least two colourways every season, and then throw in a couple of collaborations. The word ‘overkill’ springs to mind, I’d of been more than happy sticking with the grey and navy pairs, then maybe a couple more.
New Balance 997DOL –
New Balance 997JNB –
On-to the New Balance 990 now, and just recently this model was made available on the US New Balance site for customisation, so now the possibilities are endless – material choices are currently limited to just suede and mesh.
We’ve seen a lot of ‘Premium Packs’ if you must, with a bunch of standard NB pack names to go along with them, ‘Connoisseurs’, ‘Distinct’, ‘Author’, etc etc etc, so we will be welcoming the Horween Leather 990 very soon.
New Balance 990CRD –
New Balance 990BHR –
What more can we expect from the Made in USA side of things for Spring/Summer 2015? Well, the New Balance 998 firmly holds it’s place in the USA collection, along with maybe another 997, a premium 990 which looks really good, but the most exciting news about S/S 2015 is the USA Bringback Collection.
The USA Bringback collection will consist of the 990GRY, which you may remember was released not too long ago for it’s 30th anniversary, so if you missed out then you’ll have another chance to grab them. Along with that will also be a grey 998, possibly very similar, if not the same as the pair which Roadrunner Sports have been releasing for the last few years, and finally, the 1300JP (5 years since it’s last release), probably the most anticipated shoe from the USA collection.
Made in UK –
The Made in UK side of New Balance is my forte, but for the last few years, it’s all been pretty poor in my opinion, and that’s not just because of the shape issue, the colourways and materials haven’t exactly been up to scratch when you compare them with what Flimby were capable of pre-2010.
The usual UK models making an appearance, but not much to really talk about. A while back we seen some pics of the ‘Gentleman’s Choice’ Pack and you can see one of the 1500’s in all of their glory below.
New Balance 577SMO –
New Balance 1500GMN –
New Balance 1500SG –
New Balance 1500NAV –
New Balance 576PGT –
Much like the Made in USA collection, Flimby have also been working on some premium packs, and one of them worth noting, probably only because of the 1500, which is guaranteed to be a winner with everyone. The only picture I can share is of the pack in the colours of the ‘Union Jack’, the red 1500, blue CT300 and the tip of the toebox of the white 577.
Once the pre-orders are up at all the usual retailers, I will compile another post of both collections. Until then, enjoy speculating, I’m sure more leaks/teasers will appear soon.
thomaslindie 