Like most sneaker companies these days, New Balance is no stranger to collaboration. But in recent years, it’s refined a specific, charming collaborative spirit to help supercharge its offering. Over the last five years, the Boston-based brand has called upon brands (like Aimé Leon Dore, JJJJound, Todd Snyder, and Casablanca) and celebrities (like Jaden Smith, Jack Harlow, and Salehe Bembury) to help give their shoes a fresh spin. And to help debut their newest footwear offering, the RC30, they’ve enlisted the help of none other than Donald Glover.
In terms of style, the RC30 is not too far off from the brand’s XC-72 and 327 sneakers, and cleverly reimagines the sleek performance style of vintage running shoes. The silhouette even borrows from the New Balance Trackstar, adding a subtle but dynamic curve to the vintage classic’s signature ripple sole. Two colorways kick off the shoe’s debut: “Golden Hour,” which comes with a mustard base and white branding, and “Sea Salt,” with a white base and blue branding.
New Balance’s Joe Grondin, who heads up the brand’s global collaborations, shared that the collab offers “no loud colours or branding, just classic, easy-to-wear colorways of a new silhouette that fit Donald’s style.”
The sneakers are available via New Balance’s website.
This story originally ran on British GQ with the title “Your first look at the new Donald Glover designed New Balance RC30.”