New Balance launches fragrance range that smells like sneakers… NEW sneakers, thankfully

New Balance fragrance.

So what Christmas present do you get the outdoor adventurer who has everything? How about a new fragrance that smells like sneakers? No, honestly – that’s what New Balance has just launched exclusively in Australia for a limited time only. 

Well, it probably is a niche market. Even in Australia you have to wonder how many people want to smell like sneakers when they’re off for a night on the town.

Just to be clear, New Balance’s new Distilled range – which comes in Original and Court varieties – do not make you smell like a pair of sweaty old trail hooves you’ve been wearing for months (though, it has to be admitted, there is a market for that kind of fetish, just presumably not one that New Balance would want to be associated with). The scents have been created in partnership with Australian perfumier Perfume Playground to emulate the whiff of unused sneakers, fresh from the box. 

(Image credit: New Balance)

And while one purpose of the fragrances is to keep old sneakers smelling fresh, New Balance is also encouraging users to use them as eau de toilette sprays that you use on yourself.

“New Balance’s Distilled fragrances are uniquely versatile: they can be sprayed on shoes to keep them fresh, but also smell beautiful when worn on the skin,” says Perfume Playground founder Samantha Copland [via High Snobiety].

The “Original” fragrance apparently smells like leather, rubber and suede, infused notes of "cotton socks" and “freshly mowed grass” (because, of course, all New Balance sneakers come in boxes packed with freshly mown grass, don’t they?)

The “Court” fragrance, meanwhile, evokes Australian sandalwood, patchouli and juniper berry wild tyrol essential oil into a fragrance dusted by hints of basketball rubber and hardwood floor. Ah, that vintage bouquet of US sports halls.

Unfortunately, for the moment at least, the fragrances are super-exclusive. They're available exclusively for the first 100 purchases made at the New Balance Grey Store in Australia, which opened in Sydney this week. What a shame.

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