Junya Watanabe Stays One Step Ahead
The Japanese designer has been quietly reimagining the sneaker landscape for decades. His latest New Balance collaboration might change everything.
Earlier this year in Paris on a plaster-covered runway illuminated by spotlight beams, Junya Watanabe’s unmistakable creative vision once again stole the show. The famed Japanese designer, known for his boundary-breaking fashion experiments, unveiled his Fall 2024 collection. His distinctive take on menswear—archetypal silhouettes elevated into abstract curiosities—was a sight to behold. However, beyond the geometric contraptions and curious shapes, a pair of reimagined shoes set the fashion world abuzz, igniting a wave of anticipation and excitement.
Watanabe took New Balance's stylish 1906R running shoe and smashed it headfirst into a traditional dress loafer, marking a bold new chapter in his ongoing collaboration with the Boston sneaker brand. A glossy laceless upper made from mesh and leather sits atop a tread-loaded rubber sole. The design is both perplexing and alluring at once; the newest hit from a legendary collaborator who never hesitates to color outside the lines.