Aminé Honors His Portland High School With His New Balance 740v2 Sneaker Collaboration
Aminé is going back to high school for his latest New Balance collaboration.
The Aminé x New Balance BTEE740 sees the 740v2 decked out for Benson Polytechnic, the Portland high school from which the rapper graduated. A blue and orange scheme takes after the colors of Aminé’s alma matter, and the insole features a custom crest riffing on that of the school. “BTEE” replaces the standard “740” mark on the lateral paneling sweeping beneath the collar with a new pearlescent panel underneath matching others on the tongue and heel. Those on the latter host mismatched “CL” and “BN” marks on the left and right shoe, respectively, representing Aminé’s Club Banana.
A densely packed tongue tag then features co-branding for Aminé and New Balance while calling out the high school, the shoe itself, his graduating class of 2012 and the KBPS radio program the rapper said in an Instagram post announcing the collaboration marked “the beginning of my musical journey.” Aminé also said he has donated $25,000 to graduates of the radio program to help with their college expenses, and in a video in the Instagram carousel he goes more in depth on what KBPS means to him.
A special silver box with space-themed graphics themed for Benson’s astronaut mascot takes after a laptop, complete with the labeling and pads on the bottom.
The New Balance 740, not to be confused with the P740 basketball shoe worn by James Worthy in the ’80s, is a lesser-sung running sneaker from 2010 that appears set for a revival similar to popular models including the 1906.
Aminé began teasing his New Balance 740v2 last week with a trailer made in the same style as another for his 610 collaboration from 2023.
The Aminé x New Balance BTEE740 will release November 1, with more details including channels and pricing yet to be confirmed. This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.