Now firmly into 2020, New Balance revisit their iconic 1300 model five years after it was last launched. First introduced in 1985, the 1300 has since become a quinquennial model, launching every 5 years since.

When the New Balance 1300 was first brought to life, it set new standards for a running shoe in terms of the quality and materials used, bringing a greater sense of craftsmanship to the running market. 

With this greater sense of detail, the 1300 quickly gained an almost cult like following in Japan who were drawn to this exceptional level of care and detail which has since led to the model being renamed as the 1300 JP. 

In an effort to build the closest retro to date, the upper has been carefully constructed out of the highest quality of suedes and leathers that NB could get their hands on with the attention focussed on matching the colours perfectly. Underneath sits one of New Balances most important technological advances to date, ‘ENCAP’ which allows for optimum shock absorption. 

To mark this special release, we took the New Balance 1300 JP down to UCHI, Hackney to capture the similarities in craftsmanship between both the 1300 JP and their authentic Japanese food.

UCHI is a Hackney based restaurant owned and ran by a husband and wife duo that pride themselves on providing authentic Japanese food.

FP: Could you give us a bit of a background story into UCHI and how its ended up within the heart of Hackney?

UCHI: UCHI means home in Japanese. The owners are a husband and wife team; one from Japan, the other born and raised in Hackney. “Home” has always meant Hackney to the latter. Restaurants have felt like home because his father owned a family restaurant on the same road as UCHI. For his wife, “home” is reflexively the countryside of Japan. An authentic Japanese restaurant, deep in the heart of Hackney, is the product of their their union. After several successful restaurants in Hackney, UCHI is an attempt to define and share what home means for them.

FP: What is your favourite thing to prepare?

UCHI: One favourite dish to make is the grilled pork belly, because it is a labor-intensive process, with different smells and tastes at different stages — culminating in a few very satisfying bites. Another favorite is our signature Tempura Broccoli Roll, because it creating it involved thinking outside of traditional Japanese sushi dishes.

The New Balance 1300 JP is SOLD OUT.