Behind the Design: Bodega x New Balance 9060 "Age of Discovery"
Behind every collaboration is a story, and our latest offering with New Balance takes it back a few hundred years in order to see into the future.
You know you made it when you’re a common noun in the dictionary. Some created murals called frescoes on the walls and ceilings of historic landmarks, with visuals that brought dream-like scenes to life through a fleet of colors and a rush of motion. Others sculpted figures out of marble so realistic, they could pass as real people. This is the type of art that came out of the Renaissance. And likely because reality TV and social media didn’t exist quite yet, it was a period where creatives got all reflective, looking back at antique & classic art, design, and “vibes” – Michelangelo’s word not ours - for inspiration to bring to their own work. And when they tapped in, they discovered a gold mine. There is even a record of one artist going so far to say “Yo, this old stuff kind of fire though”. And there was something about this idea of ‘old stuff being kind of fire’ that we really related to. After all, like an archeological dig, sometimes you have to excavate the past to discover something new.
So when it came to working on the newly minted 9060 for our latest collaboration with New Balance, the vision was clear. Inspired by models from the past like the 990 line, 860v2, and the 991, the 9060 was already putting in the work that the Renaissance masters had laid the foundation for, cherry picking the elements that would help the sneaker answer its calling. All we needed to do was shine a light on what was happening and make sure to emphasize the reasons why we thought 9060 had potential to stand the test of time, not just as a relic of the past but an enduring design.
So when talking about the story behind the Bodega x New Balance 9060 “Age of Discovery”, it starts not with the sneaker or the accompanying apparel collection but the world in which the idea inhabits, and what better way to build that out than with a visual? Done in the renaissance style, we scraped together some gold and silver coins to commission a freaking painting to let you know just how strongly we feel about the importance of fostering artistic expression.
Centering around a centaur about to be blessed with the 9060s, while a crowd of on-lookers are captivated in amazement, this modern day 'I can't believe this isn't a forgery' puts the style of the past in a new canon, one meant to take a sneaker release past the point of commodity and into the world of discovery. For instance, your eyes do not deceive you, the background of the painting does depict our ancestral store, the 'Temple of Bodega’, est. 1406 A.D., though the Roman numeral nod references its modern 'reopening' in 2006. It’s crazy how much 6 Clearway St. has changed over the centuries. And yes this is what it feels like when UPS shows up with your package.
Carrying the torch where the painting left off, the Bodega 9060 takes oil on canvas into the 3rd dimension with a sky blue suede and mesh upper balanced out by streaks of earthy panels, inspired by the landscape and architecture of the period. As far as structure goes, it's hard not to see the built from scratch sole referencing our main character's hooves. Which might serve as the perfect explanation for the 9060 and this project. Just how using a mythical creature, chunky sole, or specific color scheme can make for a surprising twist, it just works harmoniously. But you never know unless you try which is why our goal at each step has been to spark inspiration through a revival and reinterpretation of the unexpected.
After all, sneakers can do miraculous things and if one of them is fostering a new outlook in daily pursuits of exploration and discovery, we’ve done our part.
Release Info: Saturday, December 10, 2022
Available online at 12pm EST on a first come, first served basis.
This product is considered a Quickstrike (QS). All QS, limited edition, and brand collaboration products are final sale. Limit 2 pairs per order. Orders exceeding the limit will be subject to cancellation
