Aaron Hope 
“We have a unique history because . . . of exclusive products designed by our own development team.”
Regular Sneaker News readers already know that some of New Balance’s best collaborative releases are Japanese exclusives, but did you realize how significant the Rising Sun’s influence is on this New England-native brand? A new video from Singapore-based streetwear blog Streething entitled ‘New Balance: Japanese Ideas in an American Company’ (set to music from The Presidents of the United States of America, of all artists) explores the extent to which NB’s Japanese collabos over the past decade-plus have shaped the brand’s identity beyond ‘those grey shoes for old school running fanatics.’ The quote above comes from New Balance Japan Lifestyle Team manager Tetsuya Shono, who goes on to explain how the Japanese market and this brand famous for its US and UK-built kicks have come to be one of the sneaker world’s shining examples of an economy without borders. Click through to see the video in its entirety and let us know which is your favorite NB silo.
