NEW BALANCE HOOPS UNVEILS COLLABORATION WITH CEO AND AGENT RICH PAUL
Today, global athletic leader New Balance, together with one of professional sports’ most influential agents and the founder of KLUTCH Sports Group, Rich Paul, officially reveals the Rich Paul for New Balance Collection featuring footwear and apparel. Created for anyone who overcame impossible circumstances to chase and achieve their dreams, the Rich Paul for New Balance Collection inspires young people of all ages striving to chart their own path.
This collaboration gives the New Balance 550 a slightly different look with an increase in perforations throughout the upper and a pebbled leather, similar to a basketball – a nod to the game and to the influence of Rich Paul on professional basketball and the sports industry at large. A salute to hard work, creativity, grit and determination, this iteration of the beloved New Balance 550 is accompanied by apparel ranging from athletic inspired t-shirts and basketball shorts to full sweatsuits made for both the court and life beyond it. High-end fabrics and details allow the pieces to be worn almost anywhere. Versatility was essential to the creation of this collection, using high-density satin stitching to further elevate these pieces rooted in sport. The colors in the collection include Raw Cashew off-white and Eclipse blue, meant to represent the limitless sky of possibilities for those seeking to break the mold.
“Growing up, we always had an affinity for fashion but had very limited resources to express ourselves, and few examples of what success could look like off the court,” said Paul. “When New Balance approached me about a collaboration, more than anything, I wanted to create something to inspire and empower young people coming up behind us – for boys and girls with creativity, passion and fearless determination to stay true to themselves.”
The special collaboration with Rich Paul is reflective of New Balance’s philosophy of fearless independence and shared aspirations to transform the status quo. New Balance takes an innovative approach to partnerships with athletes, ambassadors and collaboration brands, pursuing purpose-driven collaborations that welcome fresh thinking, strong voices, and new faces to the forefront.
“Rich’s personal and career journey is one that has truly defied convention. He is an independent thinker who represents the entrepreneurial spirit that is the heartbeat of the New Balance brand,” says Chris Davis New Balance Chief Marketing Officer and SVP of Merchandising. “We have witnessed Rich’s
leadership in business, in sport, in culture and in style. Whether it be challenging the status quo, inspiring new thinking or valuing the notion of partnership over sponsorship, Rich is an individual who carves his
own path and is an example for the next generation.”
