Back in the olden days of yore, when "collaborations" were what Simon did with Garfunkel and the internet was just a figment of Al Gore's imagination, New Balance was making running shoes. Simple, American-made, high-tech running shoes that came in virtually any color you could think of: navy, grey, navy and grey, grey and navy-well, you get the point.

In recent years, New Balance has done their share of wild-colored retailer x designer collabos, but they always seem to return to their staid New England roots. Hence the "Restoration of Heritage" M1500 and M1700, a pair of high-end models from years past in all their monotone-well, duotone-glory. Of course you'll only be able to get them in (or from) Japan. Sigh. [via Hypebeast] More pics after the jump.