Salehe Bembury is an outdoor guy. Late last year, the designer and New Balance launched a “Universal Communication” collection that included two 574 “Yurt” sneakers and a series of accompanying apparel. A second drop followed in March, bringing larger outdoor gear adorned with his fingerprint pattern.
Now, the third chapter of the collection has been revealed to include three more pairs of 574 Yurt sneakers perfect for outdoor (or Bembury) enthusiasts.
Standing Equipment – Coming in aqua green, cream/hot pink and dark grey/blue, each pair is inspired by the great outdoors. The first of three, similar to its Water Be The Guide 2002R shoe, has a blue-green mesh and shaggy suede upper, while the chunky heel offers trail-ready comfort. The cream and hot pink pair are more reminiscent of New Balance’s dad shoes, appearing with a cream base and hot pink and purple accents. Following a similar recipe to its aqua counterpart, the darker pair uses gray as the primary hue on the chunky sole.
Branding comes in the form of a Salehe Bembury label near the collar and a special New Balance Yurt 574 label on the tongue. The midsoles are bubbled in contrasting colors on the lateral side of the sneaker – which might trigger minor trypophobia, like me. And don’t forget there’s always more than meets the eye when it comes to a Bembury collaboration. A built-in heel whistle allows for that pretty literal “universal communication” shot, allowing the wearer to call for help if they get lost.
While stocks last – So far, almost all of Bembury’s releases have been met with great anticipation and immediate sell-out. His Crocs collaboration from last year cemented his place as one of the most visionary designers around, and other Canada Goose and NBA presentations highlighted his storytelling abilities.
Bembury’s second 574 yurt drop is slated for release at 9 p.m. EST this Friday, April 22, exclusively on its Be A Spunge website. You’ll need to act fast given its popularity among sneakerheads, and those looking to get their hands on a piece from New Balance’s latest collection may find themselves in for an uphill battle.