Carhartt WIP x New Balance 990v1
I really enjoy clothing from Carhartt and have been wearing their stuff since I was a teenager, however, I have never actually owned 1 of their collabs, so I was excited to see that they were getting a chance to give their spin on the v1.
Materials: This sneaker is pretty much identical to the teddy v1's from a material standpoint. The suede used on this sneaker is the same long hair suede that we have seen with the Teddy 16 & Salehe collabs. It is soft to touch and has a nice color change while brushing across it. The mesh around the sneaker is the same mesh that you'd normally see on the v1 model. Lastly, the sockliner is pretty soft to touch and adds a nice comfortable feeling to it while walking. Overall the materials were nice, and if I were to compare it to another sneaker I would say it is almost identical to the Teddy v1's that dropped earlier this year.
Comfort/Sizing: For me, the 990v1 is pretty comfortable on feet. I honestly think this model is more comfy than the 990v2 in terms of overall squishiness. The v1 is hard to compare to other NB models but it has a nice mixture of firm & squish, that seems to mold to your foot as you continue to wear it. In terms of sizing, I grabbed a size 7.5 due to availability from @43einhalb and they started off pretty snug but the more I wore them, the better they began to fit. I would say go tts if possible, but if you like a pretty snug fit, go ⬇️ a half size.
Overall Opinion: I personally enjoy the colorway of this sneaker. I believe this was pretty slept on collaboration. I personally think that it is a nice looking sneaker and the colorblocking of the tan hits, along with the navy blue hair suede compliment each other nicely. I will note that there is pretty subtle branding throughout the sneaker that is mismatched depending which shoe you are looking at. For example on the right shoe there is a Carhartt logo on the heel and NB logo on the tongue, but it is the opposite on the left shoe. Given that it is a pretty simple colorway, I believe that makes it pretty easy to just throw on adds to the Carhartt concept of everyday workwear.