Like Fine Wine: How Joe Freshgoods and New Balance Flipped the Script

When New Balance and Joe Freshgoods unveiled they were teaming up in pre-pandemmy 2020, it shook sneaker culture like nothing the Boston-based brand had ever seen before. Not in a ‘millions of people creating multiple email addresses to stack raffle entries for the 53rd colorway of Travis Scott Jordan 1s’ kind of way but in a ‘Huhh??’ make you do a double take kind of way.

In full transparency, the impact of the drop caught Chicago designer and entrepreneur Joseph Robinson (aka Joe Freshgoods) off guard, too. He was coming off a failed collab with a certain thrice-striped brand and wasn’t so sure of his footing in footwear. Neither side of the unexpected partnership envisioned such a massive success, and in their trepidation, only produced about 800 pairs of the now-iconic No Emotions Are Emotions 992s.

The sneaker came together in just six months–about one third of the typical production process for a shoe of this quality–and utilized top-notch suedes and leathers in colors that evoked the human heart. The drop was close to Joe’s heart in more ways than one, dropping exclusively in his hometown of Chicago at a pop-up for his biggest fans. It was his comeback story and a huge bet on himself, tying his fate to a smaller player in the sneaker game not known at the time for these kinds of collaborations. Freshgoods even chose a very specific Horween Leather for the 992s that’s produced right in the Windy City.

If you were there and got a pair and haven’t since sold them for the 3-5k they fetch on secondary markets, you own a piece of sneaker history. Not only an incredible sneaker in its own right but the first installment of a legendary run that’s still going strong. Maybe even stronger than ever. But both sides now know the value of what they have on their hands, and they’re sure as hell not limiting stock to 800 anymore.

Fast forward 10 projects and 20 shoes later, and to say this partnership Aged Well is the understatement of the century. But Joe likes it that way, understated and over-delivered. Despite being a loud dresser with giant furry hats and pants baggy enough that you almost can’t tell which of his iconic New Balances he’s rocking, Joe has a certain shyness about him. He downplays his impact sometimes, even though it’s obvious. He is a culture shifter and community lifter. His work is impeccable, not only beautiful but vast. He has created a world that you can live in and actually feel the story he’s telling.

When I visited his JFG Rec Center pop-up in the Lower East Side a few nights ago, I was instantly transported back to my middle school gym. A fresh coat of beige with pops of dark school colors, the trophy case with decades of team photos and trophies, the coach’s office and lost + found, people congregating on the rickety bleachers. It felt like being in After School Club with your friends, trying to figure out what game to play before our parents came to pick us up. I had a sudden hankering for a brick of Ellio’s Pizza.

This is the power of Joe Freshgoods. It isn’t shoes or clothes or any of that stuff. It’s a time capsule. It’s one of those little red ViewMaster toys you click through to see photos of days gone by. In an era where brands and collabs have less and less context and storytelling is going extinct, Joe grabs the steering wheel of the Delorean and brings us all back to the good times. Every drop is accompanied by a visual campaign with elaborately shot commercials and layers of narrative that ensure every component of the shoe makes sense. Sure, Joe and New Balance could rely on the fact that the sneakers look stunning, with materials and details that feel even more incredible in-hand. But the point was never to just move units. These stories are about people. They’re about hiring people. Amplifying people. Helping people become the next Joe Freshgoods. Hell, helping people become the next New Balance. That’s where Joe is going. You going with?

All of these projects culminated in a beautiful documentary called “Aged Well,” which made its New York premiere at the JFG Rec Center the night I visited. It felt more raw and less polished than the visuals we’re used to seeing from Joe, but still carried their most intrinsic traits, as it was thoughtful, funny, and inspiring. The documentary isn’t available online, and according to its subject, may never be. JFG told the gathered crowd he liked getting people together to experience his film at pop-ups, a feeling you can’t recreate while watching it on your phone from the couch.

The sprawling doc follows Joe and his growing team from that first drop all the way through to the Aged Well 992s, which were meant to convey how the OG No Emotions Are Emotions would look with some patina and years on them. The end of Fat Tiger, the beginning of Every Now and Then. Conversations Amongst Us. Joe listening to the haters and going against his own instincts with the trail-inspired 610s he thought may end his New Balance career. The Belly-inspired trifecta that turned it all around and cemented his NB legacy. The incredible story of a train robbery where Joe had virtually all of the pairs of his Performance Art 993 3-pack stolen and he had to go around Chicago with a duffle bag of cash buying back each pair for pennies on the dollar. Yeah, those sage green joints you wear to the Farmer’s Market have seen some shit. I won’t spoil the whole movie though, go see it when Joe pops up in a city near you.

I sat down with Joe Freshgoods before the premiere to chat about his time at New Balance, plus what he’s going to do next. Read it while you wait for the Sole Retriever mobile app to download, where you can find all the release info for Joe’s next masterpiece: a 2-pack of New Balance 2010s with some of the most luxurious materials you’ve ever felt on a shoe, plus roughly 30 different laces to make them your own.

DREW LONDON: Your first New Balance project came out right before the pandemic, which is basically 100 years ago, and your longevity speaks volumes about your creativity, taste, and consistent execution. Why do you think this partnership has aged so well?

JOE FRESHGOODS: I think because you're really watching two brands, two companies, grow together at the same time, you know? The words collab and partnership are kind of diluted, but when you talk about real collaboration... when you Google what a real collaboration is... it's this partnership with New Balance in my opinion, as far as a brand that's sitting back and letting that guy do him. I mean, even this space that you’re in right now, it's not too many New Balance logos everywhere. A lot of times when partners do stuff with brands, you're gonna see a big ass logo somewhere. New Balance just lets me do cool cultural things, whether it be a house party in Paris, an art show in Paris, an art show in New York. This is all just lifestyle stuff. You know, this is how real collaboration is supposed to work, like super lifestyle.

DL: This deep into the partnership, 20 something shoes, how do you create something new and exciting while also maintaining timelessness?

JFG: Yeah, I approach every partnership like my back is against the wall. I'm not a brand that's rooted in a design language. My design language is storytelling. My design language is like being real. I don't have a logo or colorway. Well, everybody knows I love pink, but I don't have a thing that I'm tied to design-wise, where I'm married to doing the same thing. So if it's new content, if it's a new way I shoot lookbooks, I switch it up. I don't allow people to get bored of me.

DL: You've been instrumental in rolling out new (and renewed) New Balance models throughout this partnership, like with the 9060s and 1000s. What do you love about the 2010?

JFG: I'm a team player. That's all. [Laughs]

DL: Why was it the right time for a pop-up in New York?

JFG: Sometimes you have to flex. Even with the videos in my bag, I think this is all embodying the cool things I do. I do stuff in Chicago, I've done stuff in Paris, I've done stuff in Japan. I was a big proponent of doing pop-up shops before I became the sneaker guy. I think my last pop-up in New York was like 2018 in the LES, but it was like me spending my last 14k and my team driving a U-Haul here with the stuff and us doing the vinyl ourselves. Now, seven years later, I'm just in the back drinking, and I don't even know half the people that did all this shit. It's just a testament to growth and being smart with your money and knowing how to scale on your terms. I scale very slowly. I don't ever want to have a really hot year where people can say that shit burnt out. My whole career has been like this [angles arm upwards slightly to show steady but not dramatic growth]. I want you to put that graphic in, something moving real slow.

DL: Visual storytelling has been paramount in all of your campaigns, and now we're getting to see the whole run encompassed in this documentary. What movie would you compare your time at New Balance to?

JFG: Great question, damn. "Paid in Full" [laughs].

DL: In previous interviews, you're always a little bit coy about being the one to revitalize New Balance in this space, but you really did usher in a new era for the brand.

JFG: Yeah, I would never say that on the record. [Laughs]

DL: Do you at least feel responsible for opening the door for other collaborators like Aminé, Action Bronson, and Kacey from Bricks & Wood?

JFG: What I find interesting about me, as I continue to grow, is when I do these raffles, I love seeing the data of new entries. You can see it in my comments, you can see it everywhere. I have a core audience that's just Joe fans, right? And I hate using the word fans, but they're supporters. Wherever I go, whether it be different brands, etc., I have a lot of people---a lot of Black people---that are just rooting for me. Because of that, I've opened the door, not even just for New Balance collaborators, but for brands taking a chance on smaller micro influencers because I've been able to grow and become a big face. New Balance kind of took a gamble on me in 2020 and I'm pretty sure it paid off for both parties. And I feel like now other brands are using the same formula.

DL: Conversations Amongst Us was a major moment in the culture. Can we expect you and the New Balance team to revisit it at any point?

JFG: We revisit it in different ways. I don't think it's talked about enough, but what we did for Conversations Amongst Us was kind of evolved. The thing I call brands out for is making these initiatives just for like one year. Like, we're gonna support women, we're gonna support Black people, and it just lives for a year, then that's it. CAU continues, it's still going on. It's a little bit different than just dropping clothes. A lot of the conversations we do with athletes and ambassadors, the giving back moments, it just lives on. I think all good deeds don't gotta be a shirt or shoe I'm selling people.

DL: Any New Balance team members who have made a profound impact on your work recently who would have been a great fit for that program in its initial form?

JFG: Great question. Damn. Shout out to Jordan, good dude. I mean, everybody. Everybody. I wouldn't have been able to grow consistently if I didn't have good people around me. Paula! Everybody though, I don't want to leave nobody out. But yeah, everybody kind of fire over there.

DL: It's been a while since you've worked on New Balance hoops. Is there another Kawhi crossover in our future?

JFG: I want you to just put [air quotes] nope.

DL: Should Tyrese Maxey be the next player with a signature shoe?

JFG: He's fire! And we're gonna do some stuff together. So I want you to put yes for that one. He's fire. Yeah, I don't work with Basketball, though. I want you to put Joe loves Kevin Trotman, put that on there, too. But no, I'm not working on Basketball.

DL: What do you have left to accomplish at New Balance? Any goals left to check off?

JFG: Yeah, in about four or five years, me and Joe Grondin gonna run a big division and be like President and whatever.

DL: I was gonna say your own silhouette, but you're looking way beyond that.

JFG: Yeah, that's whatever. But you might see the first time somebody goes from unknown collaborator in 2020 to being part of a big change and a big division. You might see something like that. Besides that, I want to continue to help out my community in Chicago. I got Every Now and Then and Josephine's opening up in like March, just growing my businesses. Everything is not New Balance, you know?

DL: How does Every Now and Then fit into the overall narrative of what you're doing?

JFG: I'm investing money in Chicago. We've had big players like Kith and Supreme and out-of-towner people come and set up shop in my city, and I just want to be one of the best retail spaces, especially just being Black. Like, "Damn Joe went from being an intern at Leaders to 15-20 years later, having one of the best stores in the Midwest or even the world. I love those pipelines, like guy working at streetwear store opens up his own store. That's the type of legacy I want in Chicago. Hopefully I scale it to different cities, but I'm just doing it to kind of flex, like using my own money to open up a store. You know, that's cool for the kids to see.

Drew London

Drew oversees content at Sole Retriever and hates writing in the 3rd person soooo I'm going to stop. I've written for countless blogs and magazines, from Complex to XXL and everywhere in between. Spent a long time in LA, running content and working on branded collabs at The Hundreds. Now, I'm back home on the East Coast freezing my ass off. Email me at drew@soleretriever.com with scoops, story ideas, and size 13 heat.