Concepts x New Balance x Freedom Trail

Inspired by one of Boston’s most celebrated landmarks, The Freedom Trail®, the collection pays homage to the shared importance of historic Boston as both New Balance and Concepts share headquarters in this New England city. With a nod to the Freedom Trail’s red footpath and the brown brick of Boston’s antiquated North End neighborhood, the shoes came to life in premium brown leather and red accents.

“We were very much inspired to create something that was premium, outdoorsy and spoke directly to our Boston roots,” stated Frank Rivera, brand manager and buyer for Concepts. According to Rivera, “When we first sat down with New Balance, we saw a lone boot sitting in the corner of the room on its side. We grabbed it and at first sight, knew this boot needed to be introduced to the marketplace. This was the 875. As for the 1500, we have always known about this classic sneaker and were inspired to re-invent this model with a Concepts look and feel.”

The 1500 is a heritage New Balance style originally built domestically back in 1989. The 1500 was originally built as a fully-loaded technical running shoe. Specific detail executed solely for Concepts include: full grain leather upper, pigskin leather lining (more luxurious and breathable that a comprable synthetic product), and embossed tongue tag.

The 875 is a brand new style launched to the public for the first time via The Freedom Trail® Collection. The boot was designed for comfort and durability. The sole unit includes New Balance Rollbar™ technology for maximum support and stability. Additionally, NB designers used a PU Wedge in the heel (similar to the wedge that offers superior support in the NB 993) and compression molded EVA in the forefoot. The 875 features a full grain leather upper, pigskin leather lining, and embossed tongue tag.

Regarding the introduction of the 875, Luis Navarro, product manager for New Balance Lifestyle stated, “With the increasing popularity of outdoor footwear, we saw the opportunity for New Balance to tap into the brand’s trail heritage with the introduction of the 875. Featuring proprietary New Balance trail technology including Rollbar™, the 875 is a fully functional trail boot dressed up in the most premium of materials.” Navarro continued, “As a brand, we have a strong heritage in trail and we have a strong position if we play to that heritage and leverage our background and experience in this category.

With quality and durability a high priority, New Balance and Concepts pushed to maintain the same premium materials on both the 875 boot and 1500 sneaker. While the 1500 features a combination of perforated and solid suede with burnished leather, the 875 features the same combination of leathers with unique venting tick marks on the collar of each boot for maximum breathability. Rivera adds, “We selected rich brown honeybuck suedes and slick leathers that are so soft, if you push your finger into the leather, you will leave a thumbprint.”

Keeping the collection true to Concepts personality, everything visible on the shoe- suede, labels, laces, thread, inserts is a true collaboration of talent between New Balance and Concepts.

Concepts is Boston’s first sneaker boutique, first opened back in 1996. The store’s aesthetic has naturally woven itself with Boston and more specifically, Cambridge’s sense of independence and intellect. “The combination of a shoe and boot are subtle, classic and functional- a good mix of New Balance and Concepts,” stated Rivera.

Each shoe within the collection will feature an all-leather hangtag embossed with “NB for Concepts” along with a red insert bearing the same tag. A special edition collection will be available exclusively at Concepts and will feature a foil embossed box seal, collection T-shirt and booklet providing further insight into the inspiration behind the collection.

The Freedom Trail® Collection will be available for $150.00 for the 1500 sneaker and $160.00 for the 875 boot. The collection will be available beginning on Black Friday (November 27, 2009) at Concept’s Cambridge based store and select retailers worldwide. A list of other retailers that will carry the Freedom Trail Collection can be seen below:

NORTH AMERICA
Concepts (Boston, MA)
400 Club (Denver, CO)
Major (D.C.)
Livestock (CANADA)
Proper (Long Beach, CA)
Saint Alfred (Chicago, IL)
Sportie LA (CA)
Undefeated (Las Vegas, NV)
Undefeated (Santa Monica)
Burn Rubber (Detroit, MI)
Shoe Gallery (Miami, FL)
Velocity (North Carolina)
57K (Mexico)

EUROPE
Active Sportswear Int A/s
24 Kilates (Spain)
Azita (Germany)
Tassinari (Italy)
Hanon Shop (UK)
StarCow (Paris)
Ryouki- Limited (UK)
SNEAKERS´N´STUFF (Stockholm)
Seventyfive (Amsterdam)
Solebox (Berlin)

OTHER
Maize (Brazil)
Leftfoot (Singapore)
Vault (Singapore)