British sportswear giant JD Sports has joined forces with New Balance for a new campaign to launch three new colourways of the 1906—a sneaker that pays homage to the sneaker brand’s storied history in Boston, Massachusetts.
Utilising the stylistic presence of Juventus’ new signee, Timothy Weah, the 1906 campaign is all about celebrating culture and some of the things that go into making it great—i.e. music, sports, and fashion.
NB, JD, and Weah invited three musicians—UK hip-hop star Loyle Carner, Washington D.C. rap riser Redveil, and Australian singer-songwriter A.Girl—over to Boston to immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of the city and tap into New Balance’s heritage there, all in celebration of the 1906—Weah’s favourite NB sneaker yet.
“The 1906s are dope,” he says. “They’re very much everyday wear; I can wear them to the gym or on a chilled day out with friends, kicking up in a sweatsuit. It truly is an everyday shoe for me.”
Following two launch events for the NB 1906 in both Turin and London, we caught up with Timothy Weah to talk more about the campaign, how Basquiat has inspired his personal style, dreaming of this life growing up in Queens, NYC, and much more.
“Coming from Queens, New York, who would have thought that one day I would be at Juventus playing with some of the best players in the world? That, in itself, is a blessing.”
COMPLEX: With the new JD Sports x New Balance campaign for the 1906, you’re hosted alongside some other amazing creative talents from a wide spread of industries. What do you hope collaborative projects like this can inspire?
Timothy Weah: More and more campaigns like this which mix up the culture. It’s crazy how we all came together from different industries. For example, I knew about Loyle Carner from just watching things like his COLORS performance—before we even did the campaign. I think it’s dope having the experience doing this alongside him and the others.
When and how did the Tim Weah and New Balance collaborative partnership come to fruition?
I’d say about four years ago. It was really natural. My youth contract with Nike had just finished, and Andrew from New Balance came to me at the time I was on loan at Celtic. He came and said New Balance was interested, and kept coming, kept coming, and kept coming. Which made it easier because it felt like it was a family. For me, it was an easy decision, especially after going to Boston and seeing the facilities and meeting everyone who worked at New Balance—it felt like home. So I decided to make the decision to go on with them, and the rest is history. It’s been fun and amazing. A great ride with them so far.
What are your thoughts on the New Balance 1906 and how would you style them?
The 1906s are dope! These are one of my favourite NB shoes, alongside the 550s. They’re very much everyday wear; I can wear them to the gym or on a chilled day out with friends, kicking up in a sweatsuit. It is truly an everyday shoe for me.
As a fan, and someone who has a perspective on the culture, there’s a really healthy relationship between music, football and fashion. What excites you about this intertwining relationship between those industries and the wider culture around it?
It’s so dope, especially for me being from New York where I see a bit of everything. I’m seeing sports people, models and artists all together, and it’s amazing. I used to skateboard when I was younger so I understand that side of it, the skater culture. Also, being an athlete myself, seeing how everything comes and moves together is interesting. Footballers want to be rappers, rappers want to be models, and models want to be rappers—everything’s quite mixed up today.
I think it’s super dope that we see it more and more in football, because in basketball, they already have that—those industries. The NFL is doing well with these collaborations, too. I’m interested to see it more, the mixture of fashion and music, in football. It is slowly happening. You’ve got a couple guys like Rafael Leao, Moise Kean and Marcus Thuram who are, I think, carrying this game right now for footballers. Myself too! Hopefully, we’ll see more soon.
“Footballers want to be rappers, rappers want to be models, and models want to be rappers—everything’s quite mixed up today.”
How would you describe your personal style?
I don’t know... My style is just based on moods, for real. It’s based on how I’m feeling, my energy... Sometimes I’m lazy, so I just throw something together. I’m someone who likes to mix and match. If my style was a person, it would be Basquiat.
Who would you say are the drippiest/best-dressed footballers?
Definitely the guys I mentioned before: Moise Kean, Rafael Leao and Marcus Thuram. Joe Willock is cold with it, too. Michy Batshuayi as well. Hector Bellerin, I think his whole aesthetic is dope; he’s taking us way way back and it’s a vibe. I think he’s doing a great job bringing back that old ‘70s and ‘80s aesthetic. So those are definitely my top best-dressed footballers.
As a footballer who has had the privilege of living in different countries and immersing in a spread of cultures, I can imagine your taste in music is varied. What music do you like and what kind of artists are currently on your playlist?
Coming from New York, I listen to a lot of Griselda, a lot of Joey Bada$$, Nas, a lot of Jay-Z, De La Soul... I listen to all that old-school stuff, but like Drake and Travis… I’m huge on Travis; I think he is one of the best artists out right now. His whole vibe and aesthetic is different. I think every time he drops an album, like recently with UTOPIA, I think it shows us that his brain is somewhere else when it comes to music.
Do you listen to any UK artists?
I listen to a lot of Knucks, J Hus, Ghetts, Potter Payper... When Potter came out of prison and dropped his album, that’s one of the best albums to come out of the UK in a minute. Giggs just dropped his new album, Zero Tolerance—and it’s a crazy album! The thing with Giggs is you know when it’s Giggs; he has his own sound and I think that’s beautiful. Skepta, too!
How much does music play a part in football, in the changing rooms, during training, and in general as a source of inspiration?
Even before games, if you listen to the right song, it can completely change your mood. It can put you in a space where you know you’re ready to get going—you’re ready for the battle. Music is a sort of mental stimulation when it comes to sports. Whatever you listen to before the game is definitely going to pump you up for it.
“Music is a sort of mental stimulation when it comes to sports. Whatever you listen to before the game is definitely going to pump you up for it.”
This summer, you made the prestigious move to Turin to play for Juventus. How has the move been so far, and the transition?
It’s been really easy, to be honest. Juventus have made it really easy; everyone there is very warm, very welcoming. I think any player coming to such a big team would be in a nervous state, but they made it super easy for me to adjust. I’m just loving it here. In all: it’s just a blessing. Coming from New York, Queens, who would have thought that one day we would be at Juventus playing with some of the best players in the world? That, in itself, is a blessing. I’m just happy to be in this position. I’m living in the moment, for real.
At the last World Cup, the USA team was outstanding. You’re a part of what feels like a golden era of talent emerging from the States. How do you feel about the USA national team and its future?
We’ve got a big future ahead of us, leading up to the 2026 World Cup. If you really deep it and look at the team we have now, we have a lot of guys overseas and everyone is young. To mention a few: Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, myself and Tyler Adams. Guys in the Prem: Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Matt Turner… I could go for days. It’s just dope seeing everyone playing at the highest level and doing well. It’s always a vibe when we come into camp—we all know we’re blessed to be in this position and we know what we’re fighting for. We’ve got a whole country behind us, we’re young, and we’re ambitious. The future is definitely bright.
You can cop the New Balance 1906 now from the JD Sports webstore.
