“Car-inspired sneakers are so last year,” that’s probably a statement heard in a board meeting between Nissan and New Balance. While we’ve all seen all sorts of collaboration between automotive and sneaker brands, the result is always the same – a pair of shoes designed to look like (or at least inspired) a vehicle.
But Japanese automaker Nissan begs to differ with the Kicks 327 Edition. The company turned the norm around and created a Nissan Kicks that’s designed to look like a pair of sneakers. Specifically, a pair of New Balance 327. We love it, especially that the author actually owns a pair of 327s.
To create the one-of-a-kind vehicle, Nissan wraps a Nissan Kicks e-Power 4WD with a design that matches the New Balance 327. The New Balance logo is prominent on the right side of the crossover, while the left side shows a huge Nissan Kicks 327 Edition branding.
Meanwhile, the rest of the wrapping recreates the texture of the suede fabric and New Balance sneakers’ iconic white sole, representing the shoes down to the last detail. Even the roof of the Nissan Kicks comes with a manufactured “tongue and collar,” with the white laces continuing to the hood of the crossover.\
The Nissan Kicks 327 Edition will be exhibited at the Nissan Crossing, a complete re-do of the Nissan Gallery, a Ginza landmark for over 50 years. It comes with a marketing campaign for the one-off called “Catch the Kicks” where people who spotted and posted the crossover on Twitter will get the chance to win themselves a Nissan Kicks e-Power 4WD. It wasn’t specified, however, if the prize will have this 327 Edition livery.
Those who won’t get the chance to catch the special Kicks can just retweet Nissan Motors’ corresponding Twitter post and also get a chance to win a pair of New Balance 327s.
Meanwhile, a Nissan Kicks 327 Edition sticker is available at the New Balance Ginza official store from January 24 onward on a first come, first served basis. Those who will bring the said sticker to the Crossing Cafe on the second floor of Nissan Crossing will receive a cup of the cafe’s special macchiato.
