Amine x New Balance 740 'Benson Tech'
Amine partners up with NB on his 3rd design with NB following his 610 & 610S releases. This pair pays homage to his school, Benson Tech, where his music career began. The more I looked into the backstory & began taking pictures of this pair, the more I was able to see how every piece of this design has a significant feature, even down to the box paper.
Materials: starting at the toe cap, there's a shiny 💙 TPU panel w/ a baby 💙 border & dark 💙 inlays. As you move to the N logo, it has a 🧡 inlay with both a dark 💙 & baby 💙 border. This paneling continues to the back, where you'll find BTEE in 🧡 on the ➡️ pair & 740 on the ⬅️. What I found pretty awesome were the little plastic 💙/🧡 (kinda iridescent & remind me of the color a fresh weld tbh lol) mirrors found t/o the design. These mirrors can be found near the toe cap, behind the top eyelet, heel counter, & lastly on the back heel, where you'll find CL on the ⬅️ & BN ➡️, which stands for Club Banana 🍌. Above those logos is a NB logo, followed by a pull tab with a squiggle pattern on it. Similarly to his 610s, he has a super unique mesh aesthetic, which is a 🧡 color w/ a blue embroidery underneath creating an almost 3d effect on the mesh. As you move to the tongue, you'll find more of that mesh, followed by a rubber tag w/ a banana logo & it says, NB & Amine co-branding - Club Banana Research - Benson Poly Tech - BTEE 740 - Class of 2012 - Radio KBPS, which essentially sums up the meaning behind the design. & Lastly on the insole, there's a circle logo with the similar phrases & co-branding that looks a lot like what'd you see on a collegiate sweatshirt. Overall, he went all out on the details, even down to the MacBook looking box, which was sick lol.
Comfort/Sizing: the 740 is a pretty squishy shoe on feet & imo feels kinda similar to a 1906, but maybe a smidge more supportive, but super comfy nonetheless. As for sizing, the 530 & 740 model, I feel like I could go half down in, but due to the lace lock, I need tts bc of my high arch, so if you don't have that, go half down lol otherwise, tts.
Overall Opinion: I liked how he was able to implement so many subtle details within the design, but it wasn't wasteful & each feature has its own genuine purpose. I really like the mesh they use on his collabs & the little iridescent windows. Even though some folks may look away due to it being a louder cw, I feel like it still flows together pretty nicely & the meaning behind the design is pretty dope. If you're looking to pick up a pair, they're currently available in the aftermarket. Ty nb for sending these out, much love 🧡💙