New Balance WRPD Runner “Brighton Grey/Turtledove/Mid Century Pink” UWRPDGBP

New Balance has tried many a look on the WRPD Runner since its debut last year. The shoe has tended to toggle between traditional tonal looks and more vibrant, eye-catching outfits in its true first year on the market. Bucking that pattern, the Boston brand’s designers are taking a different approach with the “Mid Century Pink” edition, utilizing both lanes at the same time.

The simplified, streamlined construction of the model makes novel color-blocking schemes often difficult, but this layout is one of the more notable we’ve seen so far. Pale yellow “Turtledove” takes to the underlying mesh, light “Brighton Grey” handles the suede upper, and titular “Mid Century Pink” drapes the sculpted FuelCell midsole. Though essentially a split between three main colors, the clashing dynamics between each of those imbues a far more eccentric atmosphere in practice than on paper.

Jumping back to 2023, the model was first debuted on the runway with the help of AURALEE, and maybe that’s an indicator of how the shoe should be applied, as a futuristic statement piece. If that’s your intent, you’ll struggle to find a more left-field look than the one featured here.

The New Balance WRPD Runner “Mid Century Pink” is available now via NewBalance.com. Hit the link just ahead to land directly on the product page.

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.