New Balance has just announced that they are collaborating with Salehe Bembury for his first independent footwear collaboration: the Salehe Bembury x New Balance 2002R.

Designed in two days with the New Balance team, Salehe was inspired by trail materials and colorways which was sparked by his move from New York City to Los Angeles and new-found love for the outdoors. The designer took the classic silhouette and revamped it for his first footwear collaboration under his name brand, allowing him to express his own creative vision.

Salehe chose a lesser-known style from the New Balance archives, and his iteration of the 2002R features a hairy suede, leather, and mesh 2002 upper on a 860v2 sole unit, Antelope Canyon-inspired colorways, and a shearling ‘N’ logo in sky blue.

In working with the New Balance team, Salehe worked closely with Joe Grondin, Senior Manager of New Balance Collaboration, after initially meeting at Paris Fashion Week. “Given the New Balance heritage I was familiar with, I expected color iterations of 990’s, 574’s etc, however the models that Joe pulled out of his bag were extremely unexpected,” Salehe recalled. “My interest peaked and the rest is history.”

The Salehe Bembury x New Balance 2002R will launch globally and on www.newbalance.com beginning on October 23 for a retail price of $150.

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