New Balance X Mita 247 – Tokyo Rat – AVAILABLE NOW

New Balance has sprung out of the starting blocks really quickly with its newest silhouette, introducing this collab so soon after the debut of the silhouette’s Luxe and Sport editions. So what’s the deal with the name? The collab is inspired by Tokyo’s rats, a common sight in the narrow streets and alleyways that proliferate throughout the city. And rats, as the resident of any major city will tell you, don’t take a day off, having a 24/7 presence on the streets, hence their appropriateness for the 247 range, which New Balanced designed for modern urban dwellers and their ‘always on’ lifestyles. How does this translate in looks? The ‘Tokyo Rat’ has an all-grey mesh upper combined with hairy panels and contrasting orange accents. As a finishing touch, look inside and you’ll see graphic insoles that have been designed by the photographer Keita Suzuki, featuring pictures of the cityscape from the street level perspective of the rat, and include mita and New Balance co-branding.