New Balance & District Vision Mindfulness Collection Features a Fresh Design of the RC Elite v2

Intro

Los Angeles-based inner peace collective (i.e. a boutique running brand for those of us not living on the West Coast or in Brooklyn), District Vision, has teamed up with New Balance for a collaboration centered around mindfulness. The collab features a collection of technical apparel and footwear, as well as micro-courses with athletes and ambassadors regarding mental health awareness through running.

Editor’s note: micro-courses are NOT the same as microdoses, so for $10, you’re getting a video course from Emily Sisson, not an unassuming package with vacuum-sealed magic mushrooms. I learned this the hard way.

GaTa with the RC Elite v2 (Photo courtesy of New Balance)

The first of these micro-courses is available now on the District Vision website and features New Balance athletes Emily Sisson and Brenda Martinez on what they do as professional athletes to get over mental hurdles. New Balance ambassador, rapper, actor, and former Believe in the Run podcast guest GaTa is also featured, as he discusses how his recent introduction to the sport of running shifted his approach to mental wellness.

In terms of the shoe and apparel launch, the New Balance and District Vision collection comprises technical design characteristics, organic hand-drawn design elements from renowned artist Filip Pagowski, and mindful aesthetics to make up a functional and artistic uniform. TLDR: it all looks pretty cool. 

I mean, we’re always into redesigns of the already-beautiful FuelCell RC Elite v2, especially if they’re actually for sale, since it’s hard to even get the original version of the shoe at the moment. This particular collection will feature two colorways of the FuelCell RC Elite v2 (black and white), with a distinctive District Vision mindful aesthetic.

The remainder of the collection features a range of technical apparel pieces, including the Impact Run Light Pack Jacket, Impact Run Long Sleeve Tee, Q Speed Sherpa Anorak, Impact Run Singlet, 3” Impact Run Short, Q Speed 9” Inch Half Tight, and 3” Impact Run Split Short. 

Photo courtesy of New Balance (flower not included)

Says District Vision co-founder Max Vallot: “We are thrilled about the opportunity to work with a heritage running brand, like New Balance, on a collaboration that goes beyond just product. It is our hope that consumers will gain a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be a “mindful athlete” and learn how running can be used as one tool in their mental wellbeing journey.”

Of course, New Balance is no stranger to the mental health awareness space, dedicating an entire series to GaTa, whose S1E5 episode of “Dave,” has become one the most highly-regarded episodes on mental health in television and pop culture in recent years. (The series is incredibly well done, by the way. We highly recommend watching it.)

“We hope through this collaboration with District Vision we can continue to bring attention to the importance of mental health and show how running can be one of many useful tools for one’s mental and physical wellbeing,” says Kevin Fitzpatrick, Global Director of Performance Marketing at New Balance.

The collection is available now on newbalance.com.