After a five-minute trial and error session, I can successfully list less than 10 products that Disney has never made outside of car radiators and 3-D printers. The fabled mouse and his world-famous counterparts emblazon everything imaginable. Disney branding crosses into any sector with no hesitation, and the recognizable silhouettes appear everywhere. With products ranging from juice boxes to phone cases, it’s no shock that a collaborative footwear project falls within the boundaries. From 2013 to 2018, Disney partnered with New Balance for cross-branded shoes, coinciding with the annual runDisney World Marathon in Orlando. Although the company’s production capabilities should never be questioned - it literally built Pandora – the brand consistently works with footwear companies outside the all-encompassing Disney portfolio. But, regardless of how cute the Crocs or Vans are, the New Balances fulfill a different purpose. Although Disney collaborated with other athletic shoe companies like Reebok and Asics, the New Balance collections were the prized jewel for the insanely loyal fan base. Similar to other limited releases, teaser images drop and the Disney blog world explodes with rumors surrounding price, resale prospects, availability, and purchase locations. The same hysteria experienced by modern sneaker fanatics is replicated verbatim by adults wearing mouse ears. But, for some reason I respect people waiting in line for a shoe with fairy wings more than dudes fist fighting for a Jordan retro. It’s not exceedingly common to see a demographic outside the internet/fashion/sneaker “culture” go ballistic over a new sneaker, but it’s amazing. I have no real data to support this statement beyond common knowledge, but the selected New Balance models escape the regular gamut of “cool” – whether ironically or not – New Balance models to wear. Ronnie Fieg and No Vacancy Inn aren’t creating a collaborative Vazee Pace. (The only exception is the 2015 990 with Steamboat Mickey and Minnie Mouse, but it wasn’t a dad shoe-focused world at that point.) It’s amazing to see a crowd allegedly in the “unknown” enter a genuine frenzy. After a deep dive into Disney forums, brand experts suspect the runDisney collaboration is finished, but I truly believe if it continued the products would undoubtedly cross over into the mainstream fashion realm. A limited edition, collaborative dad shoe in garish colorways. That’s far too many 2019 buzzwords for it to fall short. (Fans are extremely excited for Adidas’ Toy Story 4 project.) The shoes are perfectly on trend without the fans or companies entirely knowing so. In recent years especially, New Balance’s 990 catapulted into cool, semi-normcore, in the know fashion stardom. And to no surprise, the men’s 990 is the hardest pair to locate on the second-hand market. Whether referencing a popular attraction or character, the shoes strongly resemble a Hoka clashed with Asics’ unapologetically bright colors. (The Dumbo Vazee, a personal favorite, has an identical color scheme to a woman’s Gel Nimbus 21 – currently sold out in the largest sizes, which I’m assuming is a consequence of men opting for a brighter option.) The mass population could easily dismiss the Little Mermaid and Donald Duck iterations as hideous, but the cultural trend surrounding ugly, kitsch clothing requires no further explanation. It may seem odd that a fashionable group would adopt animated icons into its wardrobe, but Gucci’s recent collaboration proves the thought incorrect. Similar to everything else in the Disney universe, the New Balance project was unapologetically fun, imaginative and bright.
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AuthorMax Theriot Archives
November 2019
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