Take an Exclusive Look at The Basement x New Balance 2002R Friends & Family "Dark Slate"
Featuring reflective 3M details throughout.
London-based global community, The Basement, has reconnected with New Balance to conclude their partnership on the 2002R – with a highly-limited “Friends & Family” fourth colorway named “Dark Slate,” dropping exclusively for The Basement community members this week.
Having evolved into a globally-known tastemaker, The Basement communicates with the youth through music, fashion, art, and generalized questions that get its members to relate, sympathize, or laugh with one another. What’s more, is that The Basement has also evolved its relationship with big players like New Balance and Nike — moves pleasantly welcomed by its core community members — with highly-rated footwear collaborations and even its own print magazine, all while continuing to keep its community values at its core.
The Basement’s latest New Balance 2002R “Dark Slate” silhouette follows the much-hyped “Earth Brown,” “Moss Green,” and “Stone Grey” iterations of the shoe — which are all soon to be reissued themselves in minimal numbers. The “Dark Slate” is arguably the best model in this 2002R series, featuring a reflective mesh base in place of the waterproof heavy suede that’s been seen on the three previous releases. Additionally, the “Dark Slate” also comes with 3M overlay panels that sit alongside contrasting rubber black toe caps, heel guards, and outsole.
The sneaker also features an abundance of co-branding. The Basement’s OG logo hits the heel, while BSMNT branding adorns the tongue, lace tips, and insole. A surprise addition to the shoe comes in the form of The Basement’s “9 Bar” logo that’s printed behind the floating “N” logo on the lateral side wall. Rounding things off, the shoe is finished with the “B” stamp — that replaces the usual “N” logo — on the throat panel.
For those who missed out on the first releases of the “Earth Brown,” “Moss Green,” and “Stone Grey” colorways in 2022, all three are returning, in limited numbers, via a new “For Basement, Not Bots” campaign on the brand’s official website from February 5 at 4 p.m. GMT (11 a.m. EST). The campaign has launched to deviate away from the bots and facilitate for Basement community members who failed to secure a pair of their favorite sneakers upon their first drop.
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You can take a closer look at the F&F The Basement x New Balance 2002R “Dark Slate” above, with the model exclusively available for The Basement members.
In other footwear news, take a look at the New Balance 9060 “Blue Haze.”
