A Closer Look at the Miu Miu x New Balance Collab For Spring 2022

Courtesy of Miu Miu

There was plenty to see in Miu Miu‘s spring ’22 runway collection at Paris Fashion Week. From the micro-miniskirts and torso-maximizing crop tops, to the low-slung belted khakis, prep-school oxfords and maximalist beaded skirt suits, the collection was chock full of new ideas destined to redefine fashion for spring ’22 and the seasons beyond.

Amidst all that buzzy ready-to-wear, it was easy to miss a major moment on foot:  A series of New Balance sneakers, part of brand-new collaboration that Miu Miu will debut with the athletic brand next spring.

While New Balance has been exploring lots of colorful styles in innovative materials and silhouettes in other recent collaborations, for Miu Miu the sneaker brand went back to what it’s best known for:  normcore styles in neutral colors that anyone can (and will) wear. More specifically, the Italian fashion brand chose New Balance’s 574 style, applying the same raw-cut and frayed edges found elsewhere in the collection to accent the seams of the sneaker’s uppers and logo.

The raw-edges give the sneaker, which were shown on the runway in white, khaki and denim, a more tactile feel than New Balance’s typical 574 style, usually done in its beloved gray suede. In a nod to that ubiquity, Miuccia Prada paired the sneakers with gray ribbed socks.

New Balance now has a long list of collaborations, but its most recent have included French men’s brand Casablanca, cult American men’s brand Aime Leon Doré, tennis star Coco Gauff and It sneaker designer Salehe Bembury. The new partnership with Miu Miu takes New Balance’s fashion quotient up even higher and continues a legacy of athletic and outdoor footwear collaborations for Miuccia Prada through the Prada (most recently with Adidas).