Snow Peak and New Balance Tokyo Design Studio made major waves in the outdoor enthusiast/gorpcore community with last year’s Niobium Concept 1, a modular bootie-mule-hiking boot combination shoe that could be easily transformed for backcountry to backyard functionality. This year, they’re building upon their work with the Niobium Concept 2, a modular sandal-mule hybrid with enough grit to support you wherever your summer adventuring takes you.
Designed around the concept of “Home to Camp,” the Niobium Concept 2 makes heavy use of Fidlock buckles, a magnetic locking system that offers quick in-and-out and easy adjustability. Two massive Fidlock straps clamp the wearer’s foot down atop a sole lifted directly from New Balance’s Fresh Foam Hierro V6, which looks significantly more futuristic than last year’s classic ML801 tooling system. The wearer’s heel is locked in with a padded strap that turns the shoe from a futuristic hiking sandal into a brutish garden mule upon removal. A Vibram outsole and New Balance and Snow Peak co-branding complete the olive green and black shoe.
The Snow Peak x New Balance Tokyo Design Studio Niobium Concept 2 is set to release on June 25th in Japan at New Balance T-HOUSE, Snow Peak locations and select retailers, with a global release following on July 2nd and a Europe release on July 23rd. Check out product and lookbook shots of the shoe down below.
Snow Peak x New Balance Tokyo Design Studio Niobium Concept 2
Release Date: June 25, 2021 (Japan)
Release Date: July 2, 2021 (Global)
Release Date: July 23, 2021 (Europe)
