RICH PAUL SPEAKS ONBEING UNBOTHEREDWITH THE NEW BALANCE 2010

So far, Rich Paul x New Balance has largely meant those two New Balance 550s and the broader Klutch Athletics subline. What made now the time to step onto a new silhouette? Was it something in particular about the Absorb 2010 that really spoke to you?

Rich Paul: Yeah, I wanted to go into almost a lifestyle / casual running lane. I always thought of the 550 as an homage to more of a classic silhouette; the 2010 was a little lighter, in a sense. It’s got an elegance to it that I really liked. [It being] a new silhouette was something I was interested in, as well. When I’m at HQ in Boston, I’m looking at literally everything, trying to figure out what’s coming next. It’s like being a kid in a candy store to me.

“Unbothered” is the overall title that you and New Balance have attached to this capsule. How did you land on that theme, and how does your interpretation of that phrase inspire the design?

Originally, it was pretty simple: as a kid, when you go to school, you come home, and really want to be “unbothered.” It’s the same when you go to work in adulthood. It became more of a mindset; moving with defiance, having clarity, consistency, confidence, not letting the outside noise dictate things. Don’t let it affect your energy. As it pertains to the colorway, I really wanted it to sit in a luxury space. Finding something between a mature aesthetic, yet still being super comfortable and livable.

What’s the difference in creative approach you take between creating a shoe that has your name specifically versus something that’ll land in the larger Klutch Athletics catalog?

It’s interesting; when I first created Klutch, I always thought about it as being a platform to evolve and avoid becoming stagnant. I’m trying to build out the full ecosystem; you have Klutch Sports Group, you have Klutch Athletics, you have Rich Paul. They’re all separate in a way, even if Klutch Athletics and Rich Paul are intertwined with New Balance at its epicenter.

Klutch Athletics is a performance brand, meant to serve the community. It started with the idea of that first piece of grass you played football on or that game-winning shot you practiced in the driveway. We’ve been able to broaden it into not necessarily needing to even play the game to have the mindset of an athlete.

I’d say this sneaker is more of a personal thing. I’m not trying to build the Rich Paul Apparel brand; I’ll keep that to Klutch Athletics in that aspect. But this design is a reflection of how I’ve always been in love with fashion. To jump forward and I’m on my third sneaker, it’s really insane the more I think about it. Overall, it’s a reflection of how I’m not just an agent. Even if I was perceived that way in the beginning, I’ve been able to wear the executive hat, the creator hat, the CEO hat; it’s just a combustion of it all.

You’ve mentioned in past interviews that it’s storytelling that made you gravitate towards certain products growing up. As we look at the broader Rich Paul New Balance catalog so far, how would you say collab is a step in that overall story, and what is the overarching narrative that you’re attempting to hone in as you build that out?

I use this word a lot: it’s just evolution, man, continuing to evolve. I grew up in Cleveland; nothing was handed to me. Every part of my journey has been about pushing forward, really redefining what’s possible. Because where I come from, nobody thought any of this would ever be possible. No pun intended, it also comes down to maintaining a balance through it all. The Rich Paul x New Balance Abzorb 2010 is a way of expressing that evolution visually with that “Plum Brown” coloring. I think with some of the marketing surrounding this shoe, the commercial that you’ll see soon all communicate that; this one really is about refinement.

It’s been several years since you and the brand started working together in some capacity. From an outside perspective, we see a lot of aspects where the brand has grown. As you’ve worked with them as a collaborator on a number of different projects, how have you seen things change within NB on an inside level?

It’s been special, man. It really has. It’s been something that I don’t take for granted. It’s been extremely rewarding. We have trust with one another, which is especially important when you’re working with a huge brand like New Balance. Some people in this position may look at this opportunity from the lens of “what can I gain from this,” but I look at it as a true partnership. Chris [Davis, chief marketing officer with NB] Chris and I talk about it a lot: having integrity, building the right relationships, investing not just in athletes but in their families. I don’t take any of that for granted. New Balance as a whole really has grown so much from when we first partnered up seven years ago, but I still see so much runway and so much room to grow as that relationship keeps going.

Given how you mentioned the number of hats that you wear, we’d be remiss not to bring up some of the athletes you represent. Tyrese Maxey is someone who aligns with you both as a Klutch athlete and someone with a New Balance endorsement. How has it felt to watch his overall journey as he started to build out those relationships?

It’s been great, man, with a ton of different athletes. We have Zach LaVine, Tyrese Maxey, Darius Garland, Darius Bazley, Dejounte Murray, all on New Balance’s basketball roster, and then you add in Chase Young in football. I know a high priority for New Balance is wanting to work with athletes who believe in the brand, who want to represent it.

I think Tyrese has shown that it wasn’t about the money for him; it was about going and doing the right things. He’s been a case study as someone who didn’t start out [with New Balance], but since coming over, has really been such a bright spot. I don’t think you can find anybody in the New Balance ecosystem that isn’t excited about Tyrese Maxey.

I wanted to close out by opening the floor up to you. Are there any hidden details on the shoe or any aspects of the overall project that you wanted to speak on?

There’s a logo on the tongue designed by David Creech, some velvet strings. I wanted to highlight simplicity, but with that luxury aspect. Sometimes when people throw that word around, it can become a gaudiness; people go overboard. But this is simple luxury, man. I hope when people wear this shoe, they get that motivation, that defiance, that confidence, that resilience. That’s what being unbothered represents. I couldn’t be more excited about this one, coming out around the holidays, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how it performs.