NEW BALANCE x ARIES ARISE 991AFL: UNBALANCED
It’s often we see heavy hitting boutiques working with NB such as KITH, Concepts, Hanon or SNS; so when a ‘little guy’ makes waves like Aries Arise did with their 991 pack…people tend to listen. I was first introduced to Aries Arise (AA) in 2017 when they launched their NB x 990v3, but I easily looked passed it as it seemed to be just another run of the mill NB1 project. It wasn't until recent time I gave them the attention they deserve after seeing leaked pictures of their volt 991AFL.
I did not pick these up from the initial (AA) launch, I actually waited for them to hit stateside and ordered these through KITH where I purchased them for retail. I had to sell some pairs to acquire these, but in the end I knew it’d be the right choice.
One thing I think every collector likes is EXTRAS! As if the eye popping colorway wasn’t enough, AA through in an ‘Unbalanced’ dust bag, and 2 pairs of laces. I wanted to step a little outside the box with this pair and do a lace swap, so I began searching for similar laces that included 3m dots as the OG pairs did. I landed on a site called Lace Lab where I purchased these 54” flat black/3m laces. I actually ordered these laces before the shoes were in-hand and based my selection off of photos I was sent by friends of their 991AFL. The Lace Lab laces are just a hair wider than the laces given with the 991, and they’re also a little more stiff…2 characteristics I can be OK with for now. In addition to the extras I also would like to mention that they added the ‘Aries’ branding to the tissue paper and box!
Let’s talk construction for a minute because these are a conglomerate of well executed materials:
Double-layered and multi-colored mesh in the toe and heel.
3M heel/heel tab paneling, tongue top, ‘N’ logo, piping and laces
Heel pull-tab
Aries Arise heel branding/insole branding
Contrasting colors throughout midsole
I don’t agree with the $220+ price point that you’d usually find on a 991, but if you must or have extra money laying around, I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed with these.
