Blog by London based Fashion Illustrator
This August, I had the pleasure of working with New Balance and Office to illustrate their new 9060 Lifestyle Trainers as part of a unique collaboration. The project was a blend of streetwear vibes, high fashion, and bold lifestyle aesthetic - a fusion of everything that makes the New Balance 9060 stand out. In this blog post, I want to share the creative journey behind the artwork, the brief, and how we developed a hand-drawn look for the official invite to complement the trainers’ aesthetic.
Understanding the Brief: Hand-Drawn Meets Fashion Mood Board
New Balance and Office had a clear vision in mind: they wanted a hand-drawn sketch to embody the fashion mood board aesthetic. A mood board itself is a snapshot of ideas, inspiration, and feeling, where textures, tones, and styles are pieced together to create a cohesive vibe. Translating that into a hand-drawn illustration for a sneaker required a unique approach. The brief focused on capturing the essence of the New Balance 9060—a silhouette that’s both contemporary and retro - while keeping it grounded in the raw, authentic look of hand-drawn artistry.
The hand-drawn style was integral to making the sneakers feel like they were pulled straight from a designer’s notebook, giving the impression of an intimate, in-progress creation rather than a polished final product. This approach set the collaboration apart by giving the trainers a sense of artistry and craftsmanship that would resonate with New Balance's core fans and Office's fashion-forward audience.
Finding Inspiration: Fusing Fashion and Streetwear
The New Balance 9060 Lifestyle Trainer is a unique piece with a rich heritage, inspired by classic running silhouettes with a twist for modern appeal. To capture this hybrid vibe, I pulled inspiration from a range of sources. Vintage New Balance catalog illustrations, urban streetwear imagery, and even sketches from high-fashion collections helped me understand how to present the sneaker’s distinct lines and textures in a way that felt both elevated and grounded.
The shoe itself is a blend of mesh, suede, and rubber textures with a striking midsole and a slightly chunky silhouette that’s bold yet understated. This mix of textures offered a lot to work with in the illustration. I wanted to bring out the sneaker’s dimensionality, its contrast of smooth and rugged, while maintaining the hand-drawn style that the brief called for.
Crafting the Illustration: Techniques and Process
With the brief in mind, I set out to create a series of sketches that could capture the 9060 in its best light. Here’s a bit of insight into the process:
1. Rough Outlines – I started with basic shapes and proportions, mapping out the sneaker’s silhouette. This phase focused on capturing the unique curve of the midsole, the sleek overlays, and the classic New Balance “N” logo.
2. Adding Depth with Layered Textures* – To give the sketch a mood board feel, I introduced different line weights and shading techniques. The goal was to evoke the feeling of a pencil sketch that could seamlessly blend into a collage or fashion spread. Cross-hatching, shading, and even some stippling were used to build texture into the suede panels, the mesh detailing, and the chunky outsole.
3. Incorporating Fashion Elements – The illustration needed to resonate with a fashion-forward audience, so I infused elements that hinted at high fashion styling. By playing with contrasts—clean lines versus rougher shading—I created a look that felt modern yet artistically unpolished, giving the impression that these were sketches pulled right from a creative’s workspace.
4. Detailing the Unique Features of the 9060 – Every detail was an opportunity to highlight the unique qualities of the 9060. The silhouette’s layered design allowed me to accentuate key aspects like the curved midsole and the retro-inspired outsole. Each line and shade was crafted to make the viewer feel the depth of the sneaker without overpowering the illustration’s raw, hand-drawn vibe.
The Final Piece: Balancing Art and Function
When the final illustration was complete, it was exactly what New Balance and Office envisioned: a hand-crafted representation of a cutting-edge sneaker that effortlessly combined athleticism and high-fashion influence. The final piece is not just a drawing; it’s a statement about how sneaker culture, art, and fashion intersect. Seeing my work alongside the actual 9060 trainers, I felt like the artwork did more than just illustrate—it captured the spirit of the collaboration.
This project reminded me of how powerful a simple pencil and paper can be in an age where digital design dominates. By embracing the raw aesthetic of hand-drawn illustrations, New Balance and Office gave their audience something genuine and tactile—qualities that mirror the essence of the 9060 Lifestyle Trainers themselves.
Reflections on Collaborating with New Balance and Office
Working with New Balance and Office on this project was a rewarding experience that pushed my creative boundaries and reminded me of the beauty in hand-drawn artistry. Projects like these show that sneakers aren’t just footwear—they’re canvases for artistic expression. This collaboration emphasised how a hand-drawn, mood board-inspired aesthetic can bring out the soul of a product, giving it an edge that goes beyond mere function. I can't wait to work with them again this November!
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