There’s just nobody doing it like New Balance in 2025. The mainline product has been hot as hell and their rotating cast of tasteful collaborators have cooked up some of the year’s coolest shoes. One such reliable partner? Stone Island. The legendary Italian sportswear brand has been a perfect match for New Balance since the pair first joined forces back in 2021. Their work has spanned a bevy of bodacious silhouettes, but this latest installment is arguably their best yet.
Next week, Stone Island’s take on the New Balance 272 hits stores. The 272 is a skate shoe that’s been in New Balance’s lineup for a minute—a pared-down no-frills sneaker with a vulcanized rubber sole and simple color paneling. It’s pure functionality that happens to look good without trying too hard.
Stone Island’s gorpy, functional aesthetic injects the 272 with rocket fuel. The silhouette’s paneling splits the upper in half, using subtle two-tone contrast coloring in three renditions: off-white, blue, and yellow, each made of a combination of canvas and suede. The New Balance logo graces the middle and the shoe’s original sturdy, responsive vulcanized rubber sole stays put.
Easily one of the coolest skate shoes of 2025 from a brand in the midst of a banner year for the history books, the New Balance x Stone Island 272 drops on June 18 exclusively via Stone Island.
