New Balance Evangelion Collaboration
On October 12, 2018, the Evangelion franchise partnered with the world-renowned footwear brand New Balance and released a limited-edition line of Evangelion sneakers featuring the "Fresh Foam Cruz" design. The line consisted of three different models, each based on prominent characters and locations from the Evangelion series. The design's colors were also inspired by names from the anime, "First Impact," "Second Impact," and "Third Impact." In addition to the different designs from the anime, each pair featured the NERV organization's logo on the tongue of the shoe.
Fresh Cruz Mousse
The Fresh Foam Cruz is a popular New Balance collection, admired by fans for its sporty yet fashionable feel. A sock-like fit with a knit construction and plush, comfortable cushioning underfoot. The shoe is made of cotton knit, nubuck, and mesh, and the sole is made of durable, lightweight rubber.
FIRST IMPACT Color
The first and most prominent color of the New Balance x Evangelion collaboration is "First Impact." This purple design is based on Evangelion Unit 01 , piloted by the main character of the anime series, Shinji Ikari . On the heel of the shoes, an "AT field" marking was added, which is a well-known barrier technique used by Evangelion units in the series. In addition to the purple base, the left and right shoes had different secondary colors. The left shoe was purple and green, representing the ordinary Unit 01 in a "normal" state. The right shoe is purple and red, showing the moment when Unit 01 enters a "berserk" state, a transformation in which the pilot Shinji would lose his sanity and Evangelion Unit 01 would become super strong. This unique design and color is a color combination that any Evangelion fan would recognize as soon as they see it. On the bottom of the shoe, the sole is green and red, with the official name of Eva Unit 01, "Eva 01 - Test Type" designed in black.
SECOND IMPACT Color
The second color in the lineup, and this is a design also based on an Evangelion unit from the Evangelion series. Complete with "AT field" markings similar to the FIRST IMPACT design. The difference with FIRST IMPACT is that this design has a two-tone color scheme based not on one Evangelion unit, but two. The red left shoe was created to form the design of the bright red Evangelion Unit 02 piloted by another main character from the anime series and movies, Asuka Langley Soryu . On the other side, the right design is salmon pink, taking the color from the design of Evangelion Unit 08, piloted by Mari Makinami , a unit and character that made their first appearance in the most recent Evangelion Rebuild movies, Evangelion 2.0 and 3.0. None
A female pilot suit from the anime series and a color combination that would also be well received by female Evangelion fans. On the bottom of the shoe, there is the name of each Eva unit, 02 and 08 on their respective sides.
THIRD IMPACT Color
THIRD IMPACT is the third color available in the limited edition line and the only design that wasn't designed to resemble an Evangelion unit. This set had a sleek black design, with a gray spray paint-like midsole. This color theme was created as a motif of NERV's headquarters. This headquarters was the main base for the Evangelion units, with a control center that supported characters such as Shinji and Asuka as they went on missions to fight the enemy. Angels ' during their Eva missions. Instead of the "AT field" marking that the FIRST and SECOND IMPACT models wore, this model has the "Top Secret" marking. This very discreet design style was popular for not being too "flashy" and suited Evangelion fans who wanted to wear Evangelion sneakers but didn't want to stand out too much. At first glance, passersby wouldn't notice the theme of the shoes. Only the sole of the shoe featured a large indication of the collaboration with the word "Evangelion" stamped in dark text.
Limited edition present
When the New Balance Evangelion collaboration was released on October 12, 2018, fans who made a purchase were entered into a raffle to win limited-edition keychain versions of their purchased models. This campaign was a raffle with only 10 entries.
Other clothing collaborations
In the past, New Balance and Evangelion had collaborated in a subtle way by creating the same Fresh Foam Cruz 247 sneaker model in burgundy and white Evangelion Unit 01 in 2017. The sneakers were also to be delivered in special Evangelion packaging. Instead of the traditional cardboard shoe box, the pair came with a white zippered bag with the Evangelion logo on it. However, this model was very limited and was only to be released in China.
In addition to the limited-edition collaboration between New Balance and Evangelion, the franchise has also partnered with other major clothing brands such as Uniqlo and GU. Evangelion has partnered (officially or not, it's unclear) with Nike to create a series of Air Force One Evangelion sneakers.
