Two things always happen when designers unveil a collaboration with a sneaker giant: hundreds of pairs sell out and tens of thousands of hearts break. I was on the happier side of last year's Ganni x New Balance collaboration—and still, I encounter unsubtle envy when I wear them around New York City. The union between the whimsical star of the Copenhagen Fashion Week calendar and the resurgent athleticwear label came and went in minutes last spring, shocking even Ditte Reffstrup, Ganni's creative director.

"It was such a wild thrill when we saw how quickly the first collab sold out," Reffstrup told Bazaar. "It took us by total surprise, as we have never really dabbled in sneaker culture before, despite always having loved sneakers myself."

A model wearing the latest Ganni x New Balance sneaker at the brand’s spring 2024 show in Copenhagen.

More than a year later, Ganni's latest runway came with a surprise for everyone who missed the first release. The label closed Copenhagen Fashion Week's spring/summer 2024 season with "Hello, World!", a collection including eco-conscious denim separates, winter-to-spring transitional knitwear, and the official reveal of a second New Balance collaboration.

The first collaboration included a single, now impossible-to-find sneaker; for the second round, there are three styles destined to sell out. Two pairs keep Ganni x New Balance in the world of early 2000s-revival running shoes, with an egret white and blazing yellow version of the 1906R sneaker. Then to address the recent rise of low-profile, slim sneakers, there's a single pair of RC30s, with a mirrored twist on the black and yellow caution tape palette. All three pairs will arrive in stores and online on August 16, with the RC30s exclusive to Ganni.com.

A model wearing various animal print pieces with the Ganni x New Balance sneakers on the runway in bright yellow.

Ganni regularly opens its Copenhagen headquarters to a rotating list of collaborators from outerwear (Icelandic brand 66°NORTH) to underwear (direct to consumer intimates darling Parade). Bringing New Balance back into the fold for a second capsule was a "no-brainer" for both teams. "A Ganni girl would often have New Balance as their footwear of choice, so it only made sense for the stars to align on another project," said Lauren Fitzsimmons, New Balance marketing manager for Europe and North America. That's not just a press release talking: At the show, some Ganni girls viewed the new collaboration while wearing the old one, while others wore pairs of New Balance 550s or 2002Rs.

The second capsule loses none of the sporty details, but dials up the color palette by several neon degrees. "The most noticeable detail is very much the color story, which ties in directly with Ganni’s seasonal collection and really adds a unique stamp to a New Balance aesthetic," Fitzsimmons said.

Both teams make creating a co-branded sneaker sound more like a low-stakes, high energy jam session between friends than a months-long corporate project. Responses from both Fitzsimmons and Reffstrup always come back to "fun." Ganni's Scandinavian sensibility "allows [New Balance] to flex in areas which would otherwise be unexpected for sports brands to show up," as Fitzsimmons said, while New Balance gives Ganni the architecture for its Ganni Girls' perfect sneakers.

"[I] have to admit, I have been nervous as I feel we have to live up to the reception of the first one," Reffstrup said. The designer can feel reassured by the initial response. Before the new collection stepped out on to today's runway, I noticed a number of guests wearing early-access sneakers with their oversized coats (and caught a few longing glances in their direction from other guests wearing flip flops) throughout fashion week. I couldn't blame them; these pairs are comfortable enough to wear running and sleek enough to wear through the entirety of fashion month.

Excitement is even more palpable online. As one of several TikTok users who clocked the collaboration in a sneak preview video weeks before the show said, "They're not a want, they're a need. Simple."

Ganni x New Balance 1906R Sneaker

Ganni x New Balance RC30 Trackster

Ganni x New Balance 1906R Sneaker

The second Ganni x New Balance collection arrives on August 16, in Ganni and New Balance stores and online.

Halie LeSavage is the fashion commerce editor at Harper's BAZAAR. Her style reporting covers everything from reviewing the best designer products to profiling emerging brands and designers. Previously, she was the founding retail writer at Morning Brew and a fashion associate at Glamour.