The legendary New Balance 1500 turns 30 this week, with the official celebration set for July 20th, the same day it launched in 1989. To celebrate, New Balance Japan has cooked up a collection of uniquely colorful pairs made from scrap materials in the silhouette’s honor.
New Balance’s archives are filled with dozens if not hundreds of silhouettes that carry a lot of weight throughout the sneaker community. In recent years, the Boston-based brand has been celebrating the monumental achievements of some of these shoes, which continues in 2019 with the New Balance 1500. First released 30 years ago, in 1989, and designed by the legend Steven Smith, the same man who conceptualized the New Balance 574, 995, and 997, the 1500 has since an essential piece of footwear history. Originally established as a running shoe, the 1500, and subsequent 1530 variation, quickly caught on with fans as comfortable, and incredibly good-looking options for every day wear as well.
Now, 30 years later, New Balance is paying tribute to that transition with the new Sample Lab pack. Each shoe is colored entirely at random, then dropped in an opaque bag before finally arriving in its shoebox. When purchased, the only thing the customer is assured is that the shoe is either the 1500 or 1530, and in the size they chose. Other than that, there’s no telling what they’ll be receiving.
NEW BALANCE SAMPLE LAB 1500 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
New Balance Sample Lab’s collection of one-of-a-kind 1530s and 1500s has been scheduled to release this weekend, on July 20th, 2019. Due to the unique nature of each shoe, and the quality of New Balance’s Made program, pairs will retail for a hefty $280, and release exclusively from New Balance Japan, complete with special boxes. Check out the official images below for a better look, and stay tuned to JustFreshKicks for more New Balance release information.
