Aaron Hope 
Japanese sneaker specialists Atmos have added their special touch to a number of New Balance collaborations over the years, including a series that started back in 2008 that saw a follow-up the next year but has been stuck in ‘Where is part three?’ mode ever since. The latest Atmos x NB ‘Face Off’ strays from the first two 576s to give us a fresh take on the New Balance 996 that’s subtler in its use of color, gloss and texture than either of the first two editions. This more cohesive take on the established colorblocking motif has them looking like a Solebox ‘Purple Devil’ 1500 x ‘Face Off’ hybrid concept with a tremendous amount of reflectivity applied to a model that’s been going strong for almost exactly a year now since the UNDFTD x Stussy x HECTIC reintroduction. Let us know how these compare to the aforementioned notable releases and stick with Sneaker News to see if this December 2012 drop makes it Stateside.
