Matt Varga Updated August 25th, 2025: Amine has officially revealed his New Balance AZBORB 2000 collaboration, the “Biblioteca.” True to first teaser shots, the collab shoe wears a comprehensive dose of green,r esulting in neon N branding and ABZORB pods while glossier synthetic overlays hit closer to darker pine. Indeed, the outline of the “N,” the sole unit, and the slits within those overlays are glow-in-the-dark. Special edition packaging reflects the “Bilbioteca” Portland activation he and New Balance are sponsoring, set to run through September 10th.
Per the rapper, donating a book at that drop-off site (207 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Portland) qualifies you for a free pair if you tag Amine with proof. The general release is slated for October 4th via clubbanana.com — you can sign up for updates there.
Matcha drinkers and tote bag wearers have quickly emerged in the past few weeks as the internet’s punching bag. The archetype, replete with performative “oops my” feminist literature, is now shorthand among the terminally online, including Grammy nominee Amine. The Portland rapper’s irreverent sense of humor and finger on the pulse of internet culture now seemingly inspires his latest link-up with the Boston brand, the New Balance 2000.
After “Matcha” tones ran rampant through the footwear industry in more earnest applications (see the JD Sports GEL-Sekiran or the Danielle Cathari New Balance 991v2), the green tea powder now soaks the New Balance 2000 as more ironic inspo. Though in the social teaser you can’t make out the full shoe, it appears that the bouncy silhouette gets an all-over dose of that viridescent shade — the underfoot cushioning is a dead giveaway as to which model is in focus here, as well. Though the recent social media frenzy makes for a zeitgeist-y way to connect to this collection’s aesthetic, note that this neon green was already a favored Amine shade; his New Balance 610S capsule contained a version with similar hues, and his Limbo album cycle made heavy use of it as well.
The activation portion of this shoe’s rollout is already active, with a book drive location running from now until September 10th in Oregon. Concrete details on when to expect the actual sneaker are harder to come by. We’ll keep this page updated with any updates on the Amine New Balance ABZORB 2000 as soon as they surface.
