808 Day isn’t quite here yet, but Roland is getting the celebrations started early with the announcement of a sneaker collaboration with New Balance.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen 808-styled shoes - we’ve previously reported on similar collaborations with Adidas and Puma - but this time there’s a third party involved: Brazilian skateboarder Tiago Lemos.
In fact, the new sneaker is a special edition of the existing (and appropriately named) Tiago Lemos NM808, and one that’s designed to highlight “the intersection of skateboarding, hip-hop, and fashion.”
Although the TR-808 was released in 1980, the sneaker itself also pays homage to the late ‘90s. It certainly takes design cues from Roland’s classic drum machine, though, with splashes of white, orange and yellow and a Roland logo and TR-808 badge on the tongue.
"Hip-hop has been the soundtrack for my skating, and at the heart of many classics was the 808,” says Tiago Lemos. “To have a collaboration with the legendary Roland 808 on my shoe is an honour.”
The Tiago Lemos NM808 x Roland sneaker is available now via the New Balance website, and will be rolling out to a select group of the company’s stores. You’ll also be able to find it in Roland’s Tokyo retail store and on the company’s Lifestyle web store. It costs $120.
If you want to fully clothe yourself in 808 garb, Roland Lifestyle and New Balance have also collaborated on a matching limited capsule collection featuring hoodies, t-shirts, and hats. This will be available exclusively on the Roland Lifestyle website.
Finally, we can reveal that Roland will be celebrating 808 Day on Twitch with ‘808 Live’, an eight-hour jam featuring DJs such as Grandmaster Flash, DJ Roueche (Official DJ LA Lakers), Skratch Bastid, DJ Melo-D, DJ Bella Hue and more. And if you happen to be in LA on 808 Day, Roland Lifestyle will be hosting a launch event at 10pm at The Spotlight. You can RSVP for this on Dice.
