Shoe Palace’s Shark-Inspired New Balance 997S Colab Delivers Twin Terror
Since their inception in 1993, family-owned have expanded to almost 100 stores dotted all over America. Their omnipresence has helped net them some special sneaker collaborations over the years, and their latest release harks back to their Californian beginnings.
The first Shoe Palace was founded in sunny San Jose, California. Which also happens to neighbour an oceanic feeding zone for the terrifying Great White Shark. This provides the inspiration point for a two-pack of colourways, both featuring heavy use of black and teal.
Built on a base of classic suede and mesh, there are plenty of nods to the shark theme. The most obvious feature is the large pointed teeth graphic on the heel tab of both shoes, followed by the crashing wave image behind the translucent N logos. A hidden but thoughtful detail is the Shoe Palace insole logo that’s been reappropriated into a shark shape.
On the outside, the ‘Black Toe’ colourway is predominately black with a handful of teal accents on the heel and midsole, while the ‘Teal Toe’, as the name suggests, adds a splash of colour on the toe bumper, includes orange laces, and inverts the midsole to white.
The Shoe Palace x New Balance 997S pack will release exclusively at Shoe Palace locations on November 5.