x New Balance MT10T leather sneakers
A water-shoe silhouette, stripped down and rendered in bright white leather.
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Story & heritage
Collaboration is not a side note in Junya Watanabe’s career; it is one of the central engines of the work. Wikipedia notes Converse licensed him to design All-Star shoes in 2007, while later collaborations have included Nike, Reebok, Levi’s, The North Face, and New Balance. Vogue’s profile of Watanabe describes his approach as adding creative value to “the real thing” rather than imitating it from scratch.
The MT10T sits squarely in that lineage. Mytheresa describes it as a water shoe-inspired style made from leather, and that mix of real-world function with fashion calibration is very Junya: an object that looks simple until you notice how odd, reduced, and exact it really is.
Materials & craft
Mytheresa lists the shoe with a cow leather upper, leather lining, rubber sole, fabric insole, and drawstring closure. The round toe and low, scooped opening keep the silhouette closer to a technical slip-on than a traditional sneaker, while the white finish makes every line visible.
Though this pair is made in Vietnam rather than Japan, the design logic still feels aligned with Watanabe’s monozukuri mindset: reduce the object to essentials, then sharpen each choice until the form feels new.
How to choose & style
These are best with cropped or slightly fuller hems that let the unusual opening show. They can read almost clinical in all white, which is exactly the point. Use them to cool down tailoring, pleated skirts, or utilitarian trousers rather than with overt sportswear.
Because the silhouette is so reduced, the shoe pairs especially well with garments that already have volume or complexity. It acts as a visual reset.