Well, it’s no secret that Fieg was and still is a huge fan of the New Balance 2002, a shoe that when released, represented the creme de la creme of the brand’s footwear. If you remember the marketing rollout and historical breakdown of the NB 2002, then you’ll have heard how the design moodboard consisted of expensive watches and fast cars, the CEO’s shoe as it were.

From New Balance’s perspective, it makes sense to give Kith access to a model with such a design lineage, especially considering the luxury-streetwear space his stores occupy (if that category can even exist in the first place).

It might be less than 24 hours since the news broke, but sneakerheads are already giving their two cents. One person on Reddit commented, “I like the paneling a lot, Ronnie cooked on these!”, while another felt differently, saying “They look a lot better than the 2010’s imo but I’m still not itching to try them.”

I personally think they’re a solid spin off of the 2002r, especially given that “Sakura” colourway is outrageously good. Chances are if you’ve read this far that you’re also a fan of the new Kith NB 2011 too, but if you’re yet to be convinced, leave it to Ronnie to chalk up some fire colour palettes in the coming months.