In April 2022, Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Aminé was announced as the latest New Balance brand ambassador. Since then, we’ve seen Aminé sporting various NB silos during his performances and public appearances. Last year saw the launch of his first collaborative projects with New Balance, the 610 The Mooz, alongside ultra-limited slip-on versions of 610. The duo have even more up their sleeves as Aminé has taken to Instagram to tease the new Aminé x New Balance collaboration.
This new ad sees Aminé standing alongside his friends and looking up at a billboard that lists some of his accomplishments, mirroring the teaser posted last year for his 610 project, Three studio albums, four mixtapes, 5 billion streams, and 2 NB collabs. While he technically worked on two projects last year, his caption states, “Aminé x New Balance 2024.” We can see in the video that Aminé is rocking a pair of his upcoming 740v2 collaboration. Previously, Sole Retriever revealed that the 740 was returning this year in this new v2 iteration, and it looks like Aminé will be tasked with helping bring attention to this silhouette.
Themed after his high school, Benson Tech, the 740v2 comes with a bright orange mesh base and royal blue accents, aligning with the school's colors. Blue leather lands on the mudguard, toebox overlay, vamp, midfoot, and heel. On the "N" logo along the midfoot, we see an orange logo lined with royal blue hues. Aminé makes sure to include nods to his school, directly referencing Benson on the Club Banana, Aminé, and New Balance-branded tongue tag. Here, he notes the school's name, the class in which he graduated (2012), and the radio program, Radio KBPS, which he says in his Instagram post, "was the beginning of my musical journey." Final details include the toggle lace system, Benson High crest on the insole, split BCEE and 740 branding on the upper, and a blue/orange midsole and outsole combo.
All of this comes packaged in a custom New Balance 740v2 box meant to resemble a laptop. The lid features stickers for Benson High, the school's astronaut mascot, and nods to Aminé and Club Banana. Inside, the lid looks like a MacBook screen, and the bottom of the box contains a printed keyboard and trackpad.
Aminé’s New Balance 740v2 Benson Tech will release on November 1, 2024, through Aminé's website. A wider release will take place on November 8, 2024, via New Balance and select retailers. Available in unisex sizing, the retial price is set at $130. Download the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Images via Aminé
Aminé x New Balance 740v2 Benson Tech
Images via New Balance
Images via Aminé
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
