Not long after the shoes leaked on social media, New Balance has revealed the release info for its collaborative collection with famed Klutch Sports Group founder and agent Rich Paul.
The lineup, which New Balance said was “created for anyone who overcame impossible circumstances to chase and achieve their dreams” and aims to inspire young people who are striving to chart their own path, includes both footwear and apparel. The highlight is a new colorway of the popular 550 silhouette.
The Rich Paul x New Balance 550 is executed with pebbled leather on the uppers that is similar to that of a basketball, which also features an increase in perforations to alter the look slightly from prior iterations of the shoe. The sneaker will retail for $140.
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Aside from the footwear, the Rich Paul for New Balance collection will include premium apparel selections, which start at $40. The range will include athletic-inspired T-shirts, basketball shorts and sweatsuits, delivered in raw cashew and eclipse blue hues, which New Balance said in a statement “represent the limitless sky of possibilities for those seeking to break the mold.”
“Growing up, we always had an affinity for fashion but had very limited resources to express ourselves, and few examples of what success could look like off the court,” Paul said in a statement. “When New Balance approached me about a collaboration, more than anything, I wanted to create something to inspire and empower young people coming up behind us — for boys and girls with creativity, passion and fearless determination to stay true to themselves.”
The Rich Paul for New Balance collection arrives Dec. 10 via Newbalance.com and Klutchshop.com.
“Rich’s personal and career journey is one that has truly defied convention. He is an independent thinker who represents the entrepreneurial spirit that is the heartbeat of the New Balance brand,” New Balance chief marketing officer and SVP of merchandising Chris Davis said in a statement. “We have witnessed Rich’s leadership in business, in sport, in culture and in style. Whether it be challenging the status quo, inspiring new thinking or valuing the notion of partnership over sponsorship, Rich is an individual who carves his own path and is an example for the next generation.”
