New Balance Has a Sneaker Collaboration That Can Replace Your Dress Shoes

Dress codes are no match for these.

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Complex Original

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New Balance is no stranger to classy, sophisticated sneakers, but its latest collab may very well be its most grown-up yet.

Teaming with heritage British footwear brand Grenson, the two parties have created the very special Made in England 576GRB. Aside from the eye-catching brogue detailing and supple Italian leather, the most impressive thing about this collaboration actually can't be seen with the naked eye. 

For this project, New Balance and Grenson split the manufacturing duties in half, with New Balance's Flimby handling the sneaker's overall design and Grenson providing the calf-skin leather and adding burnishing and brogue details at its Northhampton factory. As you can see in the video below, it wasn't exactly the easiest process, but when it was all said and done, the sneakers came out looking wonderful.

"In the end, it was amazing that it came together so well because of the complexity of the project and the complexity of building a shoe in two different factories," Grenson owner Tim Little said. "It's an exciting message for the whole British shoe industry."

The result is a look that's stylish enough to pass even the strictest of dress codes without giving up the comfort and reliability of sneakers. Check out a behind the scenes look at the creation of the Grenson x New Balance 576 below and look for this collaboration to drop exclusively from Grenson's website and London locations tomorrow, January 9. A global release will follow at select retailers on January 23.

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