This edition of size? collections takes us to the owner of one of the largest New Balance collections in the world. Richie, aka @newbalance365, has been collecting NB for over 26 years, so let’s check out some of his gems.

NB1 CT300 

“I made these with NBs custom programme. I always break these out when it starts to warm up and wear them often in the summer. The colours go with everything. I used a base of grey and cream with a teal ‘N’ for a little pop. Super comfy for both the street and the beach.”

Custom NB 1500 ‘Flimby 35’

“I was lucky enough to be invited to the NB factory in Flimby, UK to design a 1500 and had it made as a one-of-one for me. I used typical NB grey and navy. Black and yellow bits fill out the rest of the shoe; a homage and reference to The Hacienda / FAC 51.

“These are still in deadstock condition. The factory let us keep some extra pieces, so I can actually make another pair one day. Any good sneaker cobblers out there?”

NB 576 ‘Ferrari’ 

“This UK made 576 comes from the ‘Classic Cars’ pack. It has an odd detail though; the tongue is stitched with the name ‘SARAH’. I found them on eBay and in my size, for relatively cheap. The story that I heard is that NB was doing custom stitching for guests of their centennial party in London in 2006. Whoever Sarah is – do you know that I have your kicks?”

NB 992 x Sport Chalet 

“This brown and red 992 was a special colourway made exclusive for Sports Chalet, which was a sporting goods retailer from the south-west region of the US. With the 992 making a huge splash this year, it’s cool to look back on some of the older and rarer 992s that have become obscure and forgotten. They don’t pop up very often, so I when I was one pop up for sale, I grabbed it immediately.” 

NB 851 x Ralph Lauren 

“This is a tennis model NB 851 collab with Ralph Lauren from 2011. A curious and seldom seen NB. There have actually been several NB tennis shoes with Ralph Lauren logos on them. I’m not really a big Polo/Ralph guy, but I had to have these for the collection.”

Keep checking back on the size blog for more size? collections.