New Balance and Joe Freshgoods have done it again: the New Balance 1890 “Naughty Things” (stylecode U18908JY) arrives in Pirate Black with Heron and Persian Purple accents. Another collaboration, I hear you say. True. But this one is right up there with the best the collab factory has to offer.
New Balance’s in-house collaboration
Joe Freshgoods is no longer just a guest designer; he’s practically part of the furniture at New Balance. Over the past few years, the Chicago-based designer has delivered a string of collaborations that have all sold well and – more importantly – looked genuinely different from the regular line. That last part is rarer than you might think. Most collaborations these days are an existing shoe in a different color, accompanied by a press release packed with words like “storytelling”. Freshgoods usually delivers the real thing: thoughtful palettes and a recognizable signature.
Dark, purple and surprisingly understated
The “Naughty Things” takes the 1890 – a modern silhouette in the long tradition of NB runners – and dresses it in Pirate Black, complemented by blue-gray Heron tones and Persian Purple accents. On paper, that sounds more exciting than it looks, and I mean that as a compliment: the shoe is dark and wearable rather than a loud collector’s item. For anyone who usually finds collaborations too busy, this is an ideal entry point. The name promises mischief; the design delivers restraint.
The resale reflex
And then there’s the ritualistic part: every Freshgoods release comes with an army of resellers ready to send prices through the roof within an hour. My standard advice remains unchanged. Don’t pay fantasy prices to a middleman while regular retailers still have stock, and that stock is often more plentiful than the panic on social media suggests. Right now, prices start at [sz_price_from stylecode=”U18908JY”], and that figure tends to shift as the initial excitement dies down. If you see your size at a normal price, go for it; if all you see are inflated asking prices, it’s better to wait a week and take a breath.
Final verdict
Is the 1890 “Naughty Things” yet another collaboration? Yes. Does that make it unnecessary? No – this is the kind of collaboration that shows how it should be done: a genuine design rather than a marketing moment. Here, my cynicism reluctantly gives way to the result. If you want to know what you’ll actually pay today and which shops have your size, compare the retailers on Solezilla; the counter currently stands at [sz_price_from stylecode=”U18908JY”], and checking that overview is quicker than deleting a resale app.