New Balance x Nice Kicks 1600 “Grand Anse”
Texas-based sneaker blog, Nice Kicks, has teamed up with New Balance for a stylish take on the popular CM1600 retro runner.
Paying homage to the paradisiacal Grand Anse Bay; where Nice Kick’s founder Matt Halfhill spent his childhood years, following a move from California to the Caribbean island of Grenada at the age of 15; the CM1600 sports a predominately blue aesthetic, with each individual feature representing an aspect of the beach and Halfhill’s strong affiliation thereto.
Dressed in a blend of premium nubuck and mesh, varying hues of blue symbolise the low-lying seashore and deeper waters of the Grand Anse coast. Grey leather accents and a grey mid-sole hint to the sandy beaches of Grand Anse Bay, while a sea gravel inspired reflective tongue and perforated reflective panels below the mesh layers, mimic the way the sun shimmers along the waves. White hits give the sneaker a subtle hit of contrast, while speckled laces and a graphic insole finish the look.
“As much fun as it has been to build this project with New Balance, it has been an even greater pleasure to tell the story of Grand Anse and Grenada through a shoe,” Halfhill states. “My goal of the project is to tell everyone I possibly can reach about this piece of paradise on earth.”
The New Balance x Nice Kicks 1600 “Grand Anse” CM1600NK is available online from Shelflife.