New Balance's Artist Collective series invites artists to create seasonal graphics that live across the brand's apparel, and for Spring/Summer 2022 I was brought on to design the Fresh Kicks range. The brief was built around the bright, sun soaked colours of fresh fruit, so the first job was working out how to translate that idea into something more considered than a straightforward fruit print.

I spent time sketching and testing different directions, looking for a way to bring the fruit theme into the design itself rather than laying it on top as decoration. That led me to the 574 silhouette, which I reimagined as an orange caught mid peel, with the rind curling away from the shoe in one continuous motion so the garment became part of the fruit rather than a surface for it. Alongside that I developed a second, typographic design, built from sliced lemons arranged around a central word mark, which kept the same citrus freshness while giving the range a different visual.

Both designs were finished with subtle halftone texture for warmth and depth, and rounded out with a set of fruit stickers carrying the Fresh Kicks slogan, small details that carried the concept through to the final output. The range launched globally in 2022 across four colour variations, rolling out through New Balance's global online store.