Publisher/Producer: Streething (www.streething.com) and New Balance
Editor: Julian Loh
Publication Date: 2016
Language: English
No ISBN
96 Pages
2016 marked the 20th anniversary of the cult classic New Balance 580 silhouette. As part of the celebration, a pop-up was launched in Singapore at Scape, showcasing a magnificent collection of the greatest iterations of the model, including every single Mita collaboration (!). The producers, Streething, along with New Balance created this incredible book to accompany the archival exhibition. The book is divided into 5 sections with interviews and monologues from some of the most influential and creative people over the last 20 years (particularly those from and/or based in Asia, as geographically that’s where the 580 not only was born, but also has had the most significance and impact).
The 5 sections of the book are:
- The Unlikely Origin of a Classic – Interviews with Shigeyuki Kunii (Mita), Yoshitumi “Yoppi” Egawa (Hombre Niño), Naotake Magara (A-1 Clothing)
- A Canvas for Collaboration Culture – Notable 580 collabs illustrated by Nestwo, Interviews with Lee Eunhyuk (Kasina), Mark Ong (SBTG), Craig Atkinson (Wings + Horns)
- Updated With RevLite Technology – Interview with Tomoko Fujita (X-Girl)
- Back to Where it All Began
- Reinvented for the Future – Interviews with Tetsuya Shono (NB), Shugo Moritani (NB)
The physical book itself is striking in that the front and back covers are recycled-style materials that are glued to the book, and then embossed with the NB logo and title.
Sneakerature’s Take: An exquisite blend of images of the shoes themselves in their natural habitat (on-foot, with the emphasis of the photos on the context that the sneakers reside within), history and commentary from those most involved in the 580 and its marked history over the last 20 years. Beautifully simple and entirely complete.