Joe Freshgoods and New Balance Are Coming to an End.

What is there to say about Joe Freshgoods that hasn’t been said many times before? The designer who has created some of streetwear's most iconic pieces has seen unrivalled success over the past couple of years.

While the Chicago native continues to work at an incredible rate with a variety of brands, it’s his work with New Balance that saw his appeal grow exponentially. 

When NB and Freshgoods first came together, there was still some hesitation surrounding the brand with consumers beginning to take an appeal to the all-grey 990V5 which was seen on various ‘fashion forward’ individuals but the fact that it was also seen on our dad's feet held many back - a sentiment that New Balance cleverly worked into their marketing campaign for the sneaker.

Nevertheless, the interest was there for Joe Freshgoods with New Balance set to be his biggest collaboration yet after previously working with Converse. Partnering to work on the 992, named ‘No Emotions Are Emotions’, the collaboration was a hit straight out the gate with it featuring a range of layers, details and colours not to mention NB’s usual high-quality materials that set it apart from the rest. 

Releasing in February 2020, the sneaker found its way straight to the top of many sneakers of the year lists in conjunction with the WTAPS 992 which arrived the same year. The two releases would breathe new life into the Boston-based footwear brand. 

As a result of his talents, JFG has been labelled as one of the key figureheads in the return of New Balance to the mainstage, garnering him a variety of collaborations on other silhouettes including the 990V3, 2002R, 550 and 9060. 

Along with Joe Freshgoods’ yet-to-be-released work with Vans which he announced earlier this year, he has recently confirmed that he has yet another fresh New Balance project on the horizon. 

As with all of JFG’s projects, the collection has a title attributed to it. This time: Performance Art: Made to Wear Well. 

Comprising three colourways of the 993, another first for the duo, the collection arrives in blue, pink and green all of which include a pastel colour palette. Unlike some of Joe’s previous pairs (i.e. his initial 992 and 990V3 collabs), his take on the 993 remains fairly mutual with the aforementioned colours donning most of the upper in conjunction with an aged midsole, laces and N logo.

While the release promises to be a contender for sneaker of the year, it also marks the end of what has been an incredible 2-year tenure. 

At the time the latest release was shared, for once not cryptically as we have become accustomed to, Joe also shared an image of his entire New Balance lineage with a simple line stating “End of an era”. Whether this means we are seeing the end of the duo indefinitely is yet to be confirmed, but it appears that their work on the 993 could well be the final project from what has been arguably the best sneaker partnership for the last couple of years. 

With the knowledge that this could well be the last we see of Joe Freshgoods and New Balance, it makes their upcoming 993 release all that more special. 

For the latest news on the ultimate project, keep it Kick Game.