Even as the curtain rises on 2026, it’s already time to clear some closet space for new kicks, with a Lunar New Year offering up for grabs and a heady KITH x New Balance collaboration in the works.
The much-hyped New Balance Lunar New Year collection offered six distinct takes on iconic New Balance silhouettes, hit shelves January 1 and are priced to sell at between $102 and $162. And as Hypebeast reports, streetwear visionary and tastemaking designer Ronnie Fieg shared an enticing glimpse at a fresh set of KITH x New Balance 990v4 Sneakers, carrying on a partnership that included a spring 2025 KITH x New Balance ABZORB collaboration to celebrate the reopening of the KITH New York flagship. Both sets of fresh kicks deliver a crisp, luxe-meets-sporty take on New Balance fan favorites.
On the heels of Fieg’s teaser showcasing the 990v4, Hypebeast notes that the chunky ‘dad sneaker’ silhouette has “quietly re-emerged as a focal point of collaborations” for the sneaker giant, as Fieg gives the style a soft brown mixed-media upper while off-white and gray New Balance “N” logos adorn either side. For its part, KITH is never far from the menswear conversation, having recentlytapped former The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli in a buzzed-about streetwear collection celebrating the iconic HBO series.
A black outsole contrasts with a two-tone white and gray midsole in eye-catching fashion, and Fieg styled the fashionable sneakers accordingly alongside both textured olive trousers and two-tone blue, relaxed-fit textured pants. Streetwear and fashion publication Hypebeast expects the sneakers to drop in early 2026 and retail for about $220.
With its forthcoming New Balance Lunar New Year collection updates both the ABZORB 2000 and the ABZORB 2010, using gray and brown across the 2010. The ABZORB 2000 gets a silver-and-red update across a black upper.
The Lunar New Year collection also sees the ever-classic 574 done up in off-white and black with hits of red to honor the Year of the Horse. Meanwhile, the 204L gets the pony-hair in both brown and white with a black outsole.
The overall effect of the New Balance Lunar New Year collection is versatile and sporty with streetwear flair, with crisp updates to modern classics, often leaning heavily on the Year of the Horse and its shades of red, white and black. To get your hands on a stylish pair of New Balance sneakers to start the new year off on the right foot, keep an eye out online and in select New Balance stores.