Salehe Bembury’s Latest New Balance Sneaker Takes After Oregon’s Crater Lake

Salehe Bembury‘s series of nature-derived New Balance sneakers will continue this week with a shoe inspired by the deepest lake in the United States.
The Salehe Bembury x New Balance 992 “Calm Be the Crater” bucks past trends by going without a model and an eccentric concept for its campaign. Instead, the sneaker’s costar is Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, home to the namesake lake that surrounds a ruptured volcano. And with several shots of the sneaker throughout the park, the resemblance between the two is uncanny.
Shaggy suede, smoother nubuck and mesh form the upper with gray, blue and several shades of green. The “N” logo then stands out in yellow, while Salehe Bembury’s hangtag is placed nearby between it and the heel. An additional pop of yellow then comes at the heel’s stabilizing cage, as well as in a small portion of the sole unit otherwise rendered in olive green and steel.
Like all 992s today, the sneaker also features “Made in USA” construction.
This collaboration marks Bembury’s first take on the 992, a model introduced in 2006 as part of New Balance celebrating its 100th anniversary. Steve Jobs was famously a big fan of the shoe in its initial four-year run, and it remained in the archives until New Balance brought it back in 2020.
Last fall, Bembury extended beyond his robust list of collaborators by launching his own independent sneaker brand, Spunge.
The Salehe Bembury x New Balance 992 “Calm Be the Crater” will release Thursday through Bembury’s website, and it’s possible another release will follow through New Balance’s own. Pricing is set at $220.



