New Balance is collaborating with a typically quiet luxury brand to release a $1,000 sneaker.
The Loro Piana x New Balance 990v6 will be available in September, with only 1,000 pairs available through the Italian label, and as expected, the sneaker is downright subtle: New Balance’s signature greyscale dominates the suede and mesh sneaker, while Loro Piana’s maroon outlines the midfoot “N” logo and is also found on the outsole and tongue lining, with the label’s only external logo being placed on the tongue tag.
The Kendall Roy-worthy 990v6 is Loro Piana’s first collaboration with New Balance, and the shoe’s launch was as quiet as its introduction: news broke from a Kuwaiti-based personal shopper with a relatively small social media following who goes by the handle @sneakers_nstuff.
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New Balance launched the 990v6 in 2020 as the latest update to a model that first launched as a running sneaker in 1982. The original was the first running shoe to break the $100 price barrier, and the 990v3, released in 2012 to celebrate the model’s 30th anniversary, created the template used for the three subsequent updates. The 990v6 adds a bit of dimension to the upper, but the biggest change is the use of comfortable, soft FuelCell foam in the midsole.
The Loro Piana x New Balance 990v6 will be extremely hard to come by, and not just due to its $1,000 price tag: the luxury brand’s pre-sale for VIP customers has already ended, with a more open release date starting September 5th, when the shoe will be available exclusively at select Loro Piana stores.
About the author:
Ian Cervantes is a senior news editor at Footwear News specializing in sneaker features. He started his career covering pop culture before moving on to cover streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety. He’s a “balls are life” guy and doesn’t mind getting his sneakers dirty.
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