The Ronnie Fieg & New Balance Abzorb 2010
2010 was an incredible year in my life. It was the year I started Kith. It’s when the second chapter of my career began. It was when designing footwear was the only thing that mattered to me. Everything was new, exciting, and there was a void in the market that I was ready to fill.
The world was very different in 2010. Social media hadn’t really taken over yet. It was the blog era—where everything felt more personal, and there was a sense of discovery. I’d spend hours on Tumblr building the moodboard for Kith. I’d read daily updates from Nice Kicks, Highsnobiety, Hypebeast, and CultureShoq to see what was happening in the industry. I was downloading mixtapes from DatPiff as the current generation of artists began to emerge. I also used to carry a digicam everywhere… something I’ve actually started doing again over the past few months. Subconsciously, I’ve always been trying to restore the feeling of that time.
Over a year ago, I began having conversations with New Balance about debuting a brand new silhouette—the 2010. It’s a model that feels as relevant today as it would have then. The name made me reminisce on that time in my life, so for this release, I wanted to take it back.
I love getting to work on a new silhouette, experimenting with different colorblocking and different story telling moments. I went through four sample rounds before landing on the final colorways for both models. But even early on in the process, I had a palette in mind.
We went through multiple rounds of midsole blocking, experimenting with everything from dark and tonal looks to high-contrast versions before landing on the most authentic balance. I kept the co-branding subtle, using our Kith monogram inlaid on the N logos. I tested some asymmetrical versions but am most happy with where we landed. Two shoes that represent both the past and the future.
This blog post reminds me of how things used to be. When I used to be excited to get home and upload images of the process and talk about the development times and mindset behind each project. These shoes brought me back to that feeling. I hope they do the same for you.
The Ronnie Fieg & New Balance 2010s will launch in-store on Friday 5/16 with the reopening of our Kith Manhattan flagship. Just like when we first opened our Manhattan store’s doors in 2011, it felt right to do it with New Balance. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days and the online release.