Stanis Slav, an Emerging Ukrainian Artist, Has Made a Pair of Pointy New Balance 990s
Would you wear these distressed and divisive dad sneakers?
Stanis Slav is a conceptual artist based in Ukraine, known for blending a multitude of techniques — both physical and digital — to create works for the likes of Arca, while also developing their own prototypes such as the Crocs-YZY FOAM RNNR hybrid. Now, Slav takes it one step further with his take on the New Balance 990, giving the seminal dad shoe an unlikely makeover.
Starting life as a regular gray New Balance 990, Slav distresses the shoe within an inch of its inanimate life, crumbling the side-wall leather, rubbing away branding and the midsole, and expressing plenty of wear on the outsole. In the process, the shoe also grew into something entirely different, something pointer than a good pair of Cuban heels.
Now, the New Balance 990 sees its toe box extend way beyond typical proportions into a point. The result is something Martine Rose might approve of, à la the Martine Rose x Nike Shox MR 4, and overall it truly pushes the footwear boundaries into something uniquely conceptual and avant-garde.
Sound off on the divisive sneaker prototype in the comments, and find more of Stanis Slav’s work on his Instagram account.
In related news, the New Balance 990v6 is coming in a creamy beige colorway.
