New Balance Reissues the Elusive and Luxurious 1300JP

The New Balance 1300JP is a special silhouette — one that was first released in 1985, and praised by runners, who went as far as labeling it a “sports car for your feet.” Since then it’s stayed in New Balance‘s lineup, but is only released once every five years to keep supply low and demand high. Now the 1300JP is set to return to stores once again in 2020, complete with all its original colors and details.

Manufactured in Skowhegan, Maine, the 1300JP offers a textured steel blue mesh base and sleek, stately grey suede overlays. Eggshell white leather is present on both the throat and heel badge. It also appears on the midfoot’s N logo, which is rimmed with steel blue trim for a layered look. Soft grey laces and grey embellishments on the white fabric tongue tag add further retro style, while more eggshell hues appear on the heel’s sturdy plastic support clip.

Down below, a springy white EVA foam midsole provides luxurious comfort and the outsole is constructed of durable Vibram rubber, a material choice that’s true to the original 1985 release. The shoes also come packaged in an era-appropriate white and blue box.

Look for the New Balance 1300 JP to release on the New Balance webstore and at select stockists February 22, with an upscale $300 USD price tag to match its luxurious construction.

This isn’t the only piece of NB-adjacent sports car news this week: frequent collaborator Aimé Leon Dore has teamed with Porsche to restore a classic 911 dubbed the “ALD 964.”