What If Your Favorite Luxury Brands Collaborated With New Balance?

Although it's not been officially communicated, Concepts and New Balance took inspiration from a French luxury brand for an all-orange pair of 997s, and the theme was expressed superbly. This got us thinking: New Balance is the retro running world's version of a high-end brand. The sneakers can range upwards of $400, and that's due to them either being Made in USA or Made in England. Materials such as Horween leather and pigskin suede are used to boost the quality on the products, too. So what if high-end brands took on the 997 and made it their own, what would it look like?

Would a Gucci x New Balance work? How about a brand such as Versace? To find out, check out What If Your Favorite Luxury Brands Collaborated With New Balance?

Brett Dalzell is a graphic designer at Complex. You can follow him on Instagram here.

New Balance is one of the most conservative brands, but the same can't be said for Versace. For those looking to replace the "Made in USA" logo, here's a Medusa head on a tongue.

Maison Martin Margiela's signature low-top sneaker is based off the German army trainer, and is most notable in a white and grey upper with a gum sole. There haven't been any New Balance 997s with a complete gum sole, and that's what makes this rendition so boring — but that's what we love about the brand — and interesting at the same time.

When it comes to luxury brands, it's all about quality and exclusivity. And no brand might be more elusive than French label Goyard, which was actually founded one year before Louis Vuitton. A custom, hand-done touch is what the brand's known for — something that New Balance prides itself in, too — but a deconstructed version of Goyard's monogram also colorblocks really well on a 997.

Burberry and sportswear go hand in hand, just ask the British, but there's always been a seedy connection. And New Balance runners have had a street connection, mainly in part to their high sticker prices. Putting the two brands together would be a clean look and have an unattended appeal.

The signature Tiffany & Co. color scheme has been a long-used theme within the sneaker industry, thanks to Nike SB and Nick Tershay, and for good reason: mint is a great pop color. Few sneakers take this inspiration so literally and give a silhouette a monochrome Tiffany Blue treatment. Suede never looked this fresh.

Don C. and Jordan Brand already had their fun with Chanel's quilted leather. Those who didn't want a bright-blue sneaker, or a pair of Jordans, were left out of luck. That motif still works on a New Balance, however, and swapping out the blue for Chanel's signature black is always a choice move.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the cross-section of people who wore Givenchy's Rottweiler or Birds of Paradise prints a few years ago weren't die-hard New Balance fiends, but I could be wrong. The label, which has seen a rebirth under Riccardo Tisci, still has a strong following, though, and enough to swing people over to running sneakers made for brittle, old men.

No luxury sneaker brand is more entwined with O.G. sneakerheads than Gucci. The Gucci Tennis became a hustler classic in the '80s, and there are still people who search out anything red, white, and green, so why not apply that same theme to a pair of 997s and give them some added comfort?

You can only pop a bottle once, but you can wear a pair of sneakers over and over again. Or you can do both. Just make sure you've sprayed your pair with a protector so this buttery green suede doesn't get ruined.

A lot of people's — sneakerheads included — first introduction to the world of luxury was through a wallet or coin purse from Louis Vuitton, which likely came in the brand's monogram print. Now that most of us have grown past phase, it's time to enjoy that same feeling but on a pair of well-made sneakers.