Just as the team at LM.RT was developing the inspiration for the brand’s fist collection, the crew from New Balance visited the design studio to talk about the specific references from art, cinema and mythology. The walls of the studio were filled with fabric cuttings, color swatches trim experiments, dried plants, antique mens accessories, pages from old books and other vintage curios.
The conversation turned naturally to shared passions. The myth of Daedalus and Icarus and the impression of a melting sun, the forcefully hopeful speech from the film My Dinner with Andre and the uplifting image it conjured of “pockets of light” on the horizon were ideas that had captured the imagination of the creatives at both LM.RT and New Balance.
It wasn’t long before the idea of working together was explored. The potential for the tones and textures rooted in these stories and being developed within the LM.RT clothing collection to inform the styling of a signature New Balance silhouette was tempting from the onset.
The iconic 2010 emerged quickly as the perfect choice. It’s balanced interplay of pattern and form combined with its dynamic use of stacked materials and expressive accents were well suited for interpretation by LM.RT to extend the AW26 Pockets of Light narrative.
It was also clear that a distinctive autumnal spin on the 2010 could make an exciting complement to the timeless and refined classics within the New Balance range.
Harmonizing and integrating the stylistic attitudes of these designs was also a way of broadening the narrative, extending the art-studio atmosphere of LM.RT’s AW26 Pockets of Light lookbook as captured by Dutch photographer Marc Haers further into the countryside,
Approaches to color and texture embedded in New Balance’s own adjacent versions of the 2010 shared similar sensitivities to other parts of the LM.RT collection – inspiring new footwear-to-outfit hook ups and pushing out the boundaries of a shared world. Said more simply, the New Balance designs looked fantastic paired with garments from the Pockets of Light wardrobe.
The LM.RT design employs layers translucent amber, metallic copper and nude leather highlights over a base of walnut brown fullgrain leather and technical mesh and is further complemented by zones of black nubuck and hair-on cavallino. Caramel colored natural amber inspire the iconic “N” side logo and copper-leaf elements provide the basis for a copper back-patch giving the “N” graphic its metallic edge accent. As on all 2010’s these feature Abzorb midsoles with Absorb SBS at the heel and forefoot which absorb impact via both cushioning and compression resistance. A high gloss black TPU Stability Shank supports the arch, and a set of caramel colored rubber outsole inserts ensure extended grip and durability. Durapontex insoles are topped with moisture-wicking mesh to keep things cool and comfortable on the inside.
The style is also furnished with three sets of flat laces; ash-black, chocolate-brown and sun-gold allowing them to by styled-to-taste and tweaked to complement different outfits and attitudes.
The presentation extends to the packaging as well. The shoebox in crafted from premium ivory-paper wrapped substrate and features close-up photography of the copper leaf sun at the root of the Icarus and Pockets of Light atmosphere. The box liner features high-gloss photography of the amber that anchors the color story, and a high-quality drawstring storage bag is printed with the LM.RT Melting Sun motif.
The all-new New Balance 2010, designed by LM.RT, will make its debut in Mainland China exclusively through eth0s starting September 26, 2026, followed by a wider release through New Balance’s official channels and authorized retail partners from September 27, 2026.