New Balance 'HS77'
Now that the dust is settling on our footwear collaboration project with New Balance and Singaporean sneaker boutique, Leftfoot, we’ve got some time to look at what we consider to be the “dark horse” of the ‘Past, Present and Future’ collection - the HS77.
The HS77 is uncoventional in that it is a new footwear model from New Balance that combines design elements from both contemporary and iconic New Balance shoes, yet avoids looking like a mash-up franken-sneaker of sorts.
The mid-cut sneaker employs the Sonic Welding technology that first appeared on the MS574 series, allowing the uppers to be bonded together by heat, giving a seamless appearance for a more futuristic look. Plain nubuck was the material of choice, no crazy colours or designs, just plain casual colours for everyday wear.
Although more than a few have pointed out the soles look similar to a certain other sportswear company’s much-revered technology, the IMEVA injection molded sole units on the HS77 were actually taken from a New balance recovery shoe that never made it into production. Not only do they make the shoes much lighter, but it also makes them extremely comfy to kick around in.
As founder of Streething, ChooEe Hwang, puts it:
"We aimed to create a model that combines the light weight technology of New Balance with the classic 574 silhouette."
And New Balance Singapore Assistant Marketing Manager, Eugene Yeo, chimes in:
“We aimed to retain the familiar look of the much loved 574 and I believe we have done that in the final product, yet offering enough elements in the HS77 for it to be considered as a totally new shoe in the New Balance line. We basically worked from scratch on a blank canvas and with the help of Taylor Canby (New Balance Footwear Design) and going through current sole units/technologies, came up with the HS77.”
Unlike the main shoes in our collab pack that were limited to 600 pairs each, these will be available on a much wider scale at select stockists worldwide from this month onwards. They’re already available now at New Balance stores across Southeast Asia (except Thailand due to the flooding issues).
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