The New Balance 850 returned for the first time since 1996 this years, and fans of the silhouette are clamoring to get their hands on a pair. Despite the absence of a wide release, New Balance has tapped No Vacancy Inn for their take on the storied sneaker.
The New Balance 850 isn’t just any other silhouette from the Boston brand’s archives. Originally released in 1996, the ML850 was New Balance’s first big leap into more modern product for a much younger audience. The key feature of the silhouette is the removal of the famous oversized “N” logo that covered every single New Balance shoe at the time. Instead, the brand opted for a much more subtle NB script on both the tongue and heel. While the move marked a large shift in the culture of the brand, the silhouette would not make a return to retail shelves until now, in 2019.
No Vacancy Inn’s first project with New Balance first surfaced earlier this year, teased by one half of the dynamic duo, Tremaine Emory, AKA DenimTears. The canvas was the 990v3, colored in shades of blue with red accents, and dubbed “Water & Wifi”. Now, the do-anything lifestyle brand has created a follow-up in the 850. Arriving in two colorways this time around, one in shades of cream and grey, and the second in the original blue hues, both pairs likely feature the same WATER and WIFI embroidery on the heel tabs in red.
As of this writing, there is no official release date for the upcoming No Vacancy Inn x New Balance 850, Emory did state they would drop sometime before the end of 2019. While we know next to nothing about the new project, we can estimate the shoes will be priced somewhere above the usual $125 threshold and release in limited numbers. Check out the teaser below for a better look, and stay tuned to JustFreshKicks for more New Balance release news.
UPDATE (12/8/19): The new installment in the No Vanacy Inn x New Balance “Water & WIFI” series has been announced for release on December 15th, 2019. Two colorways of the New Balance 850, one in navy blue, the other in off-white, will likely release via raffle from No Vacancy Inn, with no current plans for a wider release. Check out the official images below.
