First Looks: Issey Miyake's Debut New Balance Collab
Apparel and pleating aside (and there was lots of it), the biggest takeaway from Issey Miyake's Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show is a shoe. The first Issey Miyake New Balance shoe, that is.
Issey Miyake and New Balance devised some monochrome sneakers similar to climbing shoes but with an “N” logo and Vibram midsole underfoot. The silhouette looks akin to the New Balance's Minimus line of trail running and training sneakers, especially the 10 v1, but no official confirmation on the model name yet, to be clear.
Arriving in black and white, the Issey Miyake x New Balance sneaker, whatever it is, takes on an outdoorsy aesthetic with rope-like laces, grippy midsole, and copiously-paneled upper, so much so it looks like a Salomon Cross Low at certain angles.
It very much resembles a low-impact walking sneaker or even a ballet-style shoe, very appropriate for a brand that often delivers acrobatic runway performances. Given that this was a womenswear collection, the shoe is likely only to be available in women's sizes.
The word “show” has never felt fitting at fashion week more than when watching Issey Miyake, which took to the runway on day four of Paris Fashion Week to present its SS24 mainline collection.
Hosted in the heart of the French capital, the Japanese imprint presented a typically abstract event to the beat of a jolted electronic soundtrack reminiscent of an early morning Berlin rave that showcased the house’s latest womenswear in all of its ruffled glory.
Details are currently at a premium — by which I mean there aren’t any — although as a rider of the trail shoe hype myself, these Issey Miyake x New Balance are right up my alley. Suppose the only question that remains is: white or black?
