New Balance Numeric 440 Hi Tom Knox
New for 2021 and an eagerly awaited follow-up on his colourful low-top NM440 release from November last year, the debuting New Balance Numeric 440 Hi Tom Knox Shoes pair ‘70s track-and-field aesthetics with skate-centric functionality to honour London-based Knox’s ever-adapting style and skate’s trans-generational appeal.
Released almost exactly one year on from the skater’s debut low-profile 440 release that was rightly accompanied by its own self-titled NB# short-form, Tom Knox’s latest collaboration under the NB Numeric moniker sets its sights on conquering its high-collared counterpart. An internationally recognised British street skater that is no stranger to the game, Knox has been pioneering the UK skate scene for what seems like decades. Aged just 29 and privileged enough to have been part of the late-era Blueprint gang circa 2011, Knox is a skater that isn’t deterred by his city-based locale, instead letting it inspire him at every opportunity and even earning him the well-mannered contention that ‘nobody skates crusty London shit better than Knox’. Great friends with legendary videographer Jacob Harris, having appeared in both Isle Skateboard’s ‘Vase’, as a pro-rider for Tom’s old Blueprint buddy Paul Shier’s crew, and as part of Thrasher Magazine’s iconic ‘Atlantic Drift’ saga alongside the likes of Shane O’Neill, Nik Stain and Max Palmer, Tom Knox is a force not to be reckoned with.
An inverted aesthetic when compared against the striking white, sea-salt and turquoise NB# 400 from 2019, the darkened New Balance Numeric 440 His set their sights on celebrating after-dark aesthetics and dynamic inventiveness in their most authenticated form. Borrowing inspiration from the 379 Mids and FRESH FOAM All Coast 210 Mids, these high-collared 440s are built for purpose with their water-resistant ballistic nylon side-walls and their double-up reinforced full-grain leather overlays. With a playful in-between undertone that finds itself nestled between OG hiking boots and classic court-centred sneakers from the late ‘70s, these fully-vulcanised cupsole-stitched skate shoes take no prisoners with their functional facade. New Balance’s unrivalled C-Cap internal heel-wedge delivers exemplary impact resiliency as and when required, while the Ndurance treaded underfoot is set to tackle any demanding terrain or tacky surface with ease. Perforations across the leather toe-box pair neatly with the padded mesh-like sidewalls for increased circulatory comfort and militaria-grade toughness, whilst the embroidered ‘N’ patch beneath the recessed 9-eyelet lacing system seals the profile off with an ode to certified character and carried-forward NB# tradition. Pops of burnt-red across the ‘NB# 440 Tom Knox’ commemorative tongue tab, the vertical mid-tongue strip and both the semi-perforated reflective heel underlay and ‘New Balance’ debossed collar pay homage to Knox’s slow-burning spiritedness, whilst the custom photo-illustrative cobblestone insoles deliver referential tributes to the skater’s London-based roots and his no-stone-unturned ethos.
Having recently collaborated with Dickies on their latest ‘Behind The Board’ catch-up series, lively Londoner Tom Knox continues to remain a hot-topic when it comes to British skate-culture and revolutionary talent. Never one to shy away from awkward spots or tricky pull-offs, Knox and his latest NB# release epitomises next-generation iconography in its most timely form.
The New Balance Numeric 440 Hi Tom Knox will be available online at Flatspot on Monday 9th November at 00:00 (GMT).
Shop all New Balance Numeric at Flatspot.
