Aaron Hope 
Japan’s realmad HECTIC has been collaborating with New Balance for quite a while now, and often, their best work comes when bringing in even more notable names. Several of these standouts have come from working with US streetwear and sneaker specialists Stussy and Undefeated, and now that the H574J ‘Ducky’ has gotten them off the 580MT silhouette, it’s time to push back toward a more traditional NB design. The UNDFTD x Stussy x HECTIC x New Balance CM996 greets you right off the bat with a sense that the suede on these is as lush as any fan of classic runners would ever fantasize about pairing with its nylon mesh partner in crime. These have a University of Michigan look about them with navy and gold sections sitting right beside one another; could we be talking about Rose Bowl and BCS Championship games for the Wolverines around the time of this pair’s November release? We’ll have to wait and see if Big Blue really can go undefeated this season, but the opposite is clearly true, even if we have to be paitent for the official release date. via FNG
