AURALEE has the effortless perfection, “I woke up like this” look down pat. From quality slacks that stylishly elongate to long-line coats that complement natural silhouettes, AURALEE’s flair for elevated simplicity is a breath of fresh air among fashion’s extravagant fight for the spotlight. Such an ability is attested to when we consider how the label’s frequent collaborations with New Balance manages to exude an air of sophistication while retaining NB’s base streetwear/athleisure appeal. The Japanese brand’s latest work on the New Balance XC-72 for the Fall/Winter 2022 season continues this legacy.

While NB has numerous collaborative partners, few choose to venture into the brand’s more experimental silhouettes, and even less work on the XC-72 — the aggressively experimental take on running shoes with a lean towards retrofuturism. Think the overly optimistic 70s concept of sleek cars, but in the form of a shoe. It’s not an every-man’s shoe, for sure, but an interesting one without a doubt.

With AURALEE on the steering wheel, though, the NB XC-72 has been transformed from a nebulous concept shoe to a ready-to-work pair. Coming in three colorways—loafer brown, citrusy yellow and poppy cobalt blue—the XC-72 still features a toothy sole on the nose and an oversized N logo, but its muted tonal colors lends the model an approachable quality. Per usual AURALEE standards, ultra premium materials went into the construction, with hairy suede, nubuck and three types of leather making up the upper.

We can definitely see this as professional wear alongside AURALEE’s FW22 garments, which come in complementary color palettes to the shoe. It’s sleek, fashionable, and a staple piece that would endure through time — which in some way, resonates with the XC-72, which is defined by New Balance as having a ” time-bending design” that “the future that the past dreamed about, come to life”.

While it has been a long wait since the AURALEE x New Balance XC-72 first made its debut in January, we finally have a release date, albeit only for the brown and blue pairs. It will be released via a raffle on AURALEE’s site from 7 October to 10 October. A wider release will be facilitated through select retailers on 13 October for JPY19,800 (~US$137).

In other New Balance forays into high fashion, check out Junya Watanabe’s NB Niobium Concept 2.