Action Bronson is calling out anyone selling his upcoming New Balance 2811 "White/Blue" collab, claiming the pairs currently circulating were never actually sold by him. He shared the message directly in a video posted to social media this week.
"If you got those sneakers, you're buying stolen product," Bronson said in the clip. He went on to make clear that any pairs already out in the wild weren't authorized, verified, or authenticated through him in any way. He pointed to what he called an obvious robbery. Details on the actual heist remain unknown for now.
There's no word yet on how many pairs were taken, where the theft happened, or which retailer or warehouse may have been involved. Bronson didn't elaborate further in the video beyond warning fans away from buying secondhand pairs early.
This marks the second known incident of its kind tied to a New Balance collab this year. Also, Joe Freshgoods dealt with a similar situation ahead of his Performance Art 993 pack. Stolen pairs also surfaced on the resale market before the official release that time.
Action Bronson's New Balance 2811
The timing stings given how much buildup has gone into the 2811 rollout. It marks Bronson's first original silhouette with New Balance. Also he's moving past the usual format of reworking an existing model into something built entirely from scratch under his BAKLAVA imprint.
The "White/Blue" colorway hasn't received an official release date yet, and it's unclear how this incident might affect the rollout. Bronson has typically released his 2811 colorways through his own site, Specializinginlife.com, rather than through New Balance or other major retailers.
Sneaker theft ahead of release has become more common as hype around limited collabs keeps growing. It puts collaborators in an awkward spot. They're forced to publicly distance themselves from pairs that technically exist but were never meant to hit the market.
For now, Bronson's message is simple. If a pair shows up for sale before any official launch, it didn't come from him.
