Clocking The Whitaker Group's NB Project, Kith's New Store, Joe Grondi Moves On, And Sabato de Sarno's Underwhelming Gucci Debut

New Balance and The Whitaker Group’s “Missing Pieces” SMU

It appears it’s James Whitner’s time in the barrel. The (rightly-celebrated) founder and owner of The Whitaker Group, which houses A Ma Maniére, Social Status and APB boutiques, has received some push back for an effort with New Balance on a 9060 silhouette whose pastel color story titled “Missing Pieces” has been criticized for being overly inspired by Joe Freshgood’s pastel-era collabs with the brand.

Debate over who owns the rights to pastels aside, I discovered Whitner’s partnership with New Balance is different from Joe’s because it’s a special makeup (SMU) not a collaboration. SMU for those not in the sneaker business is an exclusive colorway, which brands will make for retailers to recognize their clout (very common with heavy hitters like Foot Locker, JD Sports, etc.) However, SMUs are not co-branded, so Whitaker’s Group isn’t stamped anywhere on the capsule, while Joe’s shoes inlude both his and New Balance’s logo.