Beginning their long-term partnership in 2021, New Balance and Stone Island have since worked on multiple silhouettes, including coming together to design new performance sneakers like the C_1. After teasing us with new colorways of this performance runner designed alongside New Balance’s Tokyo Design Studio, Stone Island has officially unveiled they will be working on the New Balance 998 Made in USA.
Marking the first time the duo has worked on a Made in USA sneaker, Stone Island takes inspiration from its raso gommato fabric, a signature detail found in apparel pieces from the Italian brand, for the design of this 998. This specific material is, unfortunately, not utilized on the upper. Instead, SI uses a new cotton canvas reinforced with a rubberized polyurethane coating.
