Style

New Balance has only made 400 pairs of these sneakers and the market will set the price

The No Vacancy Inn 650 go up today as an IPO on StockX.

New Balance continues its strong year with its latest collaboration with No Vacancy Inn, the brand created by Kanye West affiliate Tremaine Emory. This time, Emory has taken on the New Balance 650 — but with the biggest twist coming from the release. Only 400 pairs have been made, and the market will determine the price via StockX's IPO system.

"Water and Wi-Fi" — The New Balance 650 continues No Vacancy Inn's assertion that all people need is nature and technology. Considering that you could realistically sort anything into one of those two categories, I'm not sure how groundbreaking of a belief that is. But hey, the shoes are pretty, and that's something.

Emory says he took inspiration from the idea of furniture designer George Nakashima going out on a run, as the shoe features a soft mixture of pink, cream, and tan with ever-appealing gum soles. If No Vacancy Inn's releases thus far have indeed represented nature and technology, these lush 650s lean much closer to the former with its earth tones.

Technology comes into play more literally with an attached USB drive that contains a playlist Emory and his co-founder Brock Corsan have been listening throughout the period of isolation caused by COVID-19.

How the IPO works — The 400 pairs will essentially go up for sale as a blind auction on StockX. Prospective buyers can list how much they're willing to pay for a given size, and the purchases will go through to the those who bid at the clearing price or higher. No one will know what the final cost will be until the clearing price is set.

Bidding begins today at 12 p.m. EST and runs until Friday, April 8, at 8 p.m.

StockX tho? — While the shoes are unquestionably clean, shopping with StockX right now may feel dirty — for good reason. The resale platform recently came under scrutiny for its handling of the coronavirus and accusations that it hasn't done enough to ensure the safety of its warehouse workers.

This game right after a significant round of layoffs and a new purchasing fee for buyers as StockX seeks to become profitable. And of course, we can't forget the company's complete bungling of its hack, which started out with lies and saw users' accounts continue to be compromised for several months afterward.

So do with that information what you will and decide the ethics you need for this specific act of consumption under capitalism.

StockX
StockX