Moving beyond jewelry, Bleue Burnham has teamed up with New Balance to put his own spin on the 991v1, made at the brand’s Flimby factory in England. The London designer built the project around a new garden created for workers at the factory, with the colors and materials of the space carrying over to the shoe.

The upper is mostly brown suede, with bits of colorful stitching worked in throughout. Those colors come from the garden at the Flimby factory, which is where the idea for the shoe really started. Baby blue lands on the insoles, and brown and sage green laces keep the rest of the look simple.

The garden itself was created by Burnham and New Balance as a place where Flimby employees can spend time away from the factory floor. Its soil helped inspire the brown suede, while the plants and other colors around the space are reflected in the contrast stitching. That connection also gives the collaboration a direct link to Flimby beyond simply being produced there.

A documentary made around the project takes a closer look at the garden and how it became part of the 991v1 design, showing the process behind both sides of the collaboration.

The Bleue Burnham x New Balance 991v1 releases September 12, 2026, in limited quantities through Bleue Burnham. Mailing list members will also have access to an early release ahead of the general launch.

Stay up to date with all upcoming sneaker releases from our Sneaker Release Dates page.

Photos: bleueburnham, newbalancelifestyle