jjjjound x New Balance 991
The 992 that jjjjound did in the past was a huge reason why I began leaning so heavily into NB. The minimalist design with the neutral colorway made it a shoe that you can essentially wear with anything. To have them recreate that sneaker into the 991 made these a shoe I didn't want to miss out on.
Materials: in hand these are a little different than I expected tbh. The suede is very similar to the ALD grey 991 that released last year. The suede has a premium feel to it, but is slightly rough to touch on the toe cap (which makes sense given the area) The rest of the upper has a softer & more premium suede than what was used on the toe cap, but imo isn't as soft as the suede we saw on the 992. Overall, I think it is a beautiful sneaker and I have worn mine a ton since getting them. Don't sleep.
Comfort/Sizing: the 991 is a fairly comfortable sneaker. It has a pretty stable feeling on foot but is also slightly squishy. I think if you're looking for something soft and squishy, I would go with another model, but if you're looking for stability, I would go with these. In terms of sizing I would actually go half down. For whatever reason, these are much more roomy than any 991 I have ever owned. I personally feel that I would fit a 7.5 & these are an 8.
Overall Opinion: this colorway to me is somewhat nostalgic to see again. When the 992 dropped, I somehow got a W. I remember when they came in, I was blown away by the quality & subtleness of the design. I've always really enjoyed wearing things that don't standout and create a feeling of ifykyk. Back then jjjjound wasn't as big as they are now and where I live, no one knew what a jjjjound 992 was and that was exciting for me. To see them rerelease this on a 991 feels pretty special & is a nice placeholder for those who are unable to buy the 992. The materials are nice & the colorway is simple, which in the end is jjjjound in a nutshell. If you slept and wanted the 992, don't sleep, you may regret it in the long run.
To the one who made this possible, thank you!
If you made it this far, thank you for taking time out of your night to read my thoughts