Jaden Smith x New Balance Vision Racer "Wavy White" Release Postponed (UPDATE)
NB is encouraging potential customers to focus their energy on voter registration.
UPDATE (August 28, 2020): Jaden Smith and New Balance have postponed the release of their collaborative Vision Racer “Wavy White” in the aftermath of Jacob Blake’s shooting at the hands of the Kenosha, Wisconsin Police Department. Although the “Wavy White” was originally slated to drop on August 27 it’s now been pushed back until August 31, with New Balance encouraging potential customers to instead focus their energy on voter registration this weekend. See New Balance’s official statement and the original story below.
This is a time for action. With that in mind, we’re holding off on dropping Jaden Smith’s new Vision Racer until Monday, August 31, and encouraging everyone to put their energy into voter registration. Take the time to register yourself, a friend, or relative today. When everyone participates equally, justice will follow. Get started at voter.org.
ORIGINAL STORY (August 5, 2020): Jaden Smith and New Balance debuted their Vision Racer in a “Wavy Baby Blue” colorway last month, and now the two are back with a fresh entanglement: a white, navy and yellow Vision Racer. This second iteration may be more subtle in shade than the first, but it retains all the signature details and bold construction that garnered acclaim from Smith’s legions of fans.
Inspired in equal parts by Jaden’s favorite New Balance silhouettes — the 1700 and X-Racer — the shoe’s hybrid upper is built from white mesh and overlaid with soft tan suede. Rich navy blue appears around the quarter, rims the midfoot’s reflective N logo and is used for the printed graphic on the plastic heel tab.
Bright yellow is introduced on the piping above the mudguard, which also features a repeating ((VISION)) hit. Yellow and navy are then combined again on the large tongue tab. Down below, thick white EVA foam midsoles are split into three bulky blocks and the translucent blue outsole features a large pink ((VISION)) hit ensconced under its traction pattern.
There’s a sustainability aspect to be had as well. Uppers are made partially of recycled polyester from post-consumer plastics, and insoles are built from a mix of recycled foam and rubber plus castor bean oil. Even the midsole is made of reground foam. The Vision Racer may be deliciously beefy in its build, but each piece is also vegan-friendly.
The Jaden Smith x New Balance Vision Racer in white, navy blue and yellow will release at retailers like Nice Kicks on August 28. The MSRP is set at $150 USD.
In other collaborative footwear news, Sean Wotherspoon, atmos and ASICS‘ GEL-LYTE III has received a global release date.
