Wherever you look, there are footwear collabs galore! And we aren’t complaining one bit!
From a fashionable merger of East and West, to the long-awaited reunion of land and sea – these are the killer kicks that will be landing in stores this week!
AURALEE x New Balance 475
During Paris Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2025 show, Japanese designer Ryota Iwai and his brand AURALEE unveiled yet another New Balance partnership.
AURALEE is releasing a new collaboration with the 475 silhouette, which will come in two colours, following the WRPD Runner and new 990v4 colourways.
One of the most classic training shoes of the last few decades, New Balance’s 475 was first created in the middle of the 1980s. In addition to being made of nylon for breathability and a suede upper for a luxurious touch, the shoe has a dual-density, compression-moulded EVA for extra cushioning.
The new 475 has more support and grip thanks to its tougher outsole and slightly higher-profile midsole. One of the colourways adopts a light green colour blocking, while the other adopts an earthy colour scheme with brown and grey tones.
Iwai-san, the designer, discusses how the partnership complements the new collection in a quote. “For much of the collection we took a more direct vintage and almost preppy inspiration and likewise took a similar approach to the shoes.
“We wanted to accent the already vintage-inspired notes of the model, with a well-worn, aged, sun-tinged-like feel for the materials and also incorporate and modernise it with our signature colouring to create something with one foot in the past and one in the present. Something like a discovered deadstock shoe today or one discovered years into the future.”
The AURALEE x New Balance 475 collaboration will be available for purchase on 16th May via their respective websites. Each pair is available for JP¥26,400 (~RM772).
NN.07 x Sebago Docksides Portland
Reuniting with heritage footwear manufacturer Sebago for their second collaboration, NN.07 is bringing a sophisticated update to their iconic Docksides Portland boat shoe.
The vintage boat shoe is infused with NN.07’s Scandinavian elegance, drawing inspiration from Portland, Maine’s coastal style and boating heritage.
The updated model retains the practical design elements for which Sebago is renowned while sporting crisp white leather uppers that are subtly textured like a crocodile. The uppers, which are made of high-quality cow leather, have a water-resistant finish to protect against moisture, and the rubber soles provide a firm grip on slick surfaces.
The rubber soles are embossed with a Docksides callout and cast in the same soft cream colour as the body for a primarily monochromatic aesthetic. Additionally, the hand-sewn shoes have a classic rawhide lacing system, and the woven wordmark labels on the lateral panel add a subtle pop of bright blue.
The most recent partnership between NN.07 and Sebago comes after the brand’s 2024 Scandinavian leather version of the Sebago Dan Loafer.
The hand-sewn shoes were made using high-quality materials and a water-repellent finish, just like the Docksides.
The NN.07 x Sebago Docksides Portland will hit the shelves on 15th May, and can be purchased at NN.07 flagship stores as well as its online store.
