Up There has a New Balance 991v2 Made in UK Collab Coming Soon

When Australian boutique Up There dropped its very first New Balance collab in 2022, you could tell they struck gold. The 2002R Backyard Legends became one of the best NB collabs of the year, and a follow-up quickly launched later that year. Since then, we’ve seen Up There x New Balance drop a 1906R, two 860v2s (one in pink and another in green), and most recently, the retailer’s athletic-focused wing, Up There Athletics, dropped a FuelCell Rebel v5. Up There is now traveling across the globe to Flimby, UK, to drop a New Balance 991v2 project.

Last weekend, Up There posted a short teaser on their Instagram page depicting an old man walking a dog in the UK, juxtaposed with an Australian man walking his dog down a dirt road. A closer inspection reveals the older man is wearing a pair of New Balances, and the following day, another teaser was posted showcasing the Australian man making his way to the Up There Family Shoe Mart.

Yesterday, we got confirmation that the 991v2 is the model they’ve decided to work on, thanks to another quick teaser video, but it seems the factory committed an error… The tongue tag’s “Made in England” text is placed upside-down, but that’s alright if you’re from down under. Upside-down text has become a signature detail in Up There projects, like the retailer’s recent Asics Gel-Kayano 12.1.

Glimpses of the Up There x New Balance 991v2 Made in UK are present in the factory teaser, revealing the sneaker to have a dark color palette, faux carbon fiber paneling on the upper, and reworked 991 branding on the lateral heel. Contrasting these darker shades are NB grey details on the nubuck toebox overlays, the piping of the N logo, and the tongue tag, which also features green embroidered text.

The final teaser posted by Up There points to a November 15 release date for the Up There x New Balance 991v2 Made in UK via a special pop-up located on the side of Old Calder Highway, about an hour-and-a-half away from Up There’s retail storefront in Melbourne. No word yet on an online release, but it’s highly likely one will follow in the weeks after this pop-up on Saturday. Check below for stills from the teaser, and download the Sole Retriever mobile app for updates on release info for the Up There NB 991v2.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com