How Salehe Bembury Revived New Balance

Salehe Bembury is probably one of the most creative designers in the world these days, and he has always been someone apart from the others. In 2015, he started as a designer for Yeezy, participating in seasons 3 and 4, and in 2017, he joined Versace to become their footwear designer.

Finally, in 2020, Versace named him vice president of sneakers and men's footwear. That's what we call a quick ascension in the medium. But between those nominations, Salehe Bembury has done something much more impactful, he participated in the revival of New Balance.

We're in October 2020, It's been a year that Nike is dominating the world of sneakers with their Dunks as well as Adidas with the Yeezy Slides and Foam Runners. But in the shadow, an old friend, a huge company that became an outsider, was preparing this triumphal return in the sneakers industry. In reality, New Balance never left the scene as many people continued to wear their products because of their comfort but also because of their solidity. However, the hype wasn't there anymore, and that's what Salehe Bembury tried to bring back.

While people were fighting to buy the new SB Dunk Low Travis Scott, Salehe Bembury was releasing along with New Balance, probably one of the greatest products of these last years. A double revival. A revival for the 2002r, which is a new version of an old New Balance model, and a revival for the brand, which hadn't been hyped since what... The 574? He released the New Balance 2002r Peace Be The Journey, a very special and comfy sneaker inspired by the famous Antelope Canyon in Arizona. The packaging is crazy, the shoe is incredible, sneakers addicts love it, and finally, for the first time, a New Balance is re-selling itself. When the product dropped, you could have it for 50 dollars more, but now, It's more like 800 dollars more than the retail price. But we're not to that point yet.

After his first trial which was a success, Salehe Bembury totally launched the 2002r model, which became a hit and started to have many more collaborations on the way. Invincible x N.Hollywood, BAPE, ATMOS, and many more started to enter the New Balance mania. The BAPE collaboration particularly was re-selling at a high price and it was very hard to get your hands, or even your foot, on these. But it wasn't sufficient, New Balance needed another boost, something new that would increase the hype again and make the 2002r 2021's best sneaker model.

That's why Salehe Bembury came back to work and decided to launch along with the brand, the magical and famous New Balance 2002r Water Be The Guide. It's basically the same concept as the Peace Be The Journey but with of course, a different colorway and also, a different story. The Peace Be The Journey was orange and the Water Be The Guide is green and turquoise because of its inspiration from Havasu Falls in Arizona again. The packaging and the pair are loved by sneakers addicts who definitely recognize the genius of this new designer.

After that, New Balance decided to launch many general releases of the 2002r, including the famous protection pack, and the model became a hit in 2021 and 2022, making it one of the most popular sneakers in the world. Not only the sneakers addicts were liking the pair, many people started to go to shops to buy some, knowing these are the new sneakers to have in terms of style and comfort. And now that he has accomplished his mission, Salehe Bembury decided to go for another risk, trying to revive an ultimate classic in a very particular way.

Salehe Bembury tried to revive an old classic, the New Balance 574, the first pair to ever be considered as a luxury sneaker. But he didn't revive it normally, he added a special outsole, and of course, played a lot with the materials. Also, a whistle is placed at the back of the shoe. Yeah, you can call someone by blowing on the back of a New Balance. That sounds crazy, right? Well, it was one of the reasons people started to buy this new model. It didn't have as much success as the two 2002r, but people liked it and it was sold out quickly.

Today, Salehe Bembury continues to design sneakers for New Balance, and what makes his products awesome and unique are not only the design, but also the rarity. Some designers, once they have once success, feel the urge to drop new sneakers every month to keep the hype, while Salehe Bembury takes his time. And that seems to be a good method since the last pair that will be dropping next week is pure gold. And like the others, it could even relaunch a model that wasn't hype at all, the New Balance 992.