Travis Epps
- Apr 19, 2022
- 6 min read

The Rise and Future of New Balance

Joe Freshgoods x New Balance 990v3 "Outside Clothes"

Here in the south, specifically New Orleans, New Balance has been looked at as a footwear brand for dads. Many people, who are not a part of this thing we call the sneaker community, believe New Balances aren’t “it”. Even casual sneaker consumers here in New Orleans haven’t accepted New Balance as a brand that produces sneakers for anyone who is deemed stylish. Being one of those people who used to see the brand through that lens, I understand where that narrative has come from, but I also see how things are changing. It hasn’t been until recently that dad shoes have become somewhat accepted in this industry, and the growing popularity of New Balance sneakers has opened my eyes to the quality of their footwear. With the influence of social media, it has become widely known across all regions that New Balance sneakers can be fashionable. Still, some casuals and people who aren’t keen on what quality sneakers look like here in New Orleans or other regions outside of the northeast, where sneakers outside of Nike’s and Yeezy’s aren’t widely accepted, are afraid to venture into unpopular territory. I believe New Balance has become one of those brands that casual sneaker consumers can appreciate with an education and grasp of the product and with an understanding of what the brand has been doing to climb the ladder within the industry.

New Balance sneakers originally became popular in the DMV in 1982 when they were the first brand to release a shoe for the price of $100. Designed to be a quality running shoe, the New Balance 990 was a status symbol for people who could acquire it. Hustlers and dope dealers in the DMV were the first to flex in New Balance sneakers and establish a unique style. From there, it expanded to Philadelphia and other portions of the east coast, and now, through the expansion of the sneaker community on social media, New Balance is quickly being talked about with the likes of Nike and adidas.

New Balance 991

Within the past couple years, New Balance has taken a step forward and has been heavily featured in mainstream sneaker media. Erupting in the early months of 2020, the emergence of major New Balance collaborations has brought attention to many of the brand’s models. Collaborators such as Joe Freshgoods, Salehe Bembury, Aime Leon Dore, and JJJJound, to name a few, have really put New Balance on the nationwide map. What used to be a niche sneakerhead group up in the DMV area and upper east coast is now not so localized. Due to social media and the brand’s eye for choosing great collaborators, that small New Balance consumer group has expanded to include sneakerheads from around the country. However, as mentioned before, a lot of people haven’t jumped on this wave because they are so used to the brands that have always been in the mix, and maybe that’s a good thing for people who really enjoy New Balance footwear. Even though the big collaborations sell out online within a minute, a generally released (GR) New Balance 990 can still be acquired off the shelf from a local retailer. That’s a beautiful thing because it’s a lost convenience in today’s sneaker game when you think about searching for sneakers that everyone wants. When hype goes up for a silhouette within Nike’s catalog, like the Nike Dunk, all of a sudden that model can’t be found on any shelf in-store or even online. So if you learn to appreciate and wear New Balance sneakers, then you can avoid the frustration of missing out on your favorite models. That’s one of the more enjoyable perks of being a New Balance connoisseur.

Aime Leon Dore New Balance 550

Because those collaborations in 2020 saw huge success, several New Balance models have caught traction within the industry and gained the attention of people who didn’t wear their sneakers before. The 99X model line which includes the 990, 991, 992, and 993 have all been highly sought after within the last few years, and recently, the 2002R and 550 models have been the focal points of a few collaborations. The hype mainly began when Joe Freshgoods put his creative touch on the New Balance 992 which was released during the 2020 NBA All-Star weekend. Because the Yeezy Quantums and Virgil’s Off-White Jordan 5s released that same weekend, Joe Freshgoods’ New Balance 992 kind of flew under the radar. It wasn’t until later that people really appreciated the collab and even included the sneaker on their top ten sneakers of the year list. Following that release, the 992 saw more acclaim when brands like Kith and WTAPS created their renditions of the shoe. Subsequently through the last couple years, New Balance has selectively tapped in with brands such as Aime Leon Dore and creatives such as Salehe Bembury to jumpstart the 550 and 2002R models, respectively. With much success in those collaborations, the 550 and 2002R GR sneakers tend to sell out almost just as fast as they hit the stores and websites. In addition, you can include the 650 model to that growing catalog as it has emerged as Aime Leon Dore’s latest release to reach consumers and sneaker blogs. The archive at New Balance is massive, and these models are just some of the great silhouettes that the brand has to offer. My advice would be to research different New Balance models and create your own personal taste for what the brand has to offer. Start with the silhouettes mentioned here to really grow an affinity for the products.

Joe Freshgoods x New Balance 992 "No Emotions Are Emotions"

Salehe Bembury x New Balance 2002R "Water Be The Guide"

Aime Leon Dore New Balance 650

Beyond the great silhouettes, collabs, and colors that have grabbed the New Balance consumer's attention, you can count on their sneakers to have high quality materials and provide excellent comfort. Many times, the sneaker community accepts a sneaker just because it has hype attached to it regardless of whether it is a high quality sneaker or not. Sneaker brands are aware of the “hypebeast” consumerism that most of us fall into, so they tend to skimp on quality because they know we’ll still buy the sneaker because it’s hot at the moment and because they're producing so many colorways of the same model. New Balance is one of those brands that I have yet to see follow that pattern. Instead, they consistently produce the highest level of sneaker quality even on their off the shelf, generally released footwear. The attention to details is what will keep this wave going for New Balance. This brand isn’t just here for a moment, and if you understand what makes sneakers great, then you can understand why New Balance is here to stay.

New Balance also has an abundance of products to release this year and in the years to come. You can look forward to several New Balance collabs and quick strike releases popping up on sneaker blogs and coming to retailers soon. This past weekend, Joe Freshgoods released two sneakers, the 550 and the 2002R, which were labeled “Conversations Amongst Us”, a topic mainly pertaining to how black people converse among each other. Freshgoods has also teased a release for the New Balance 9060 which he has branded “Inside Voices”. More information for that to come at a later date. Meanwhile, coming this week, Salehe Bembury is geared up to release three more colorways of his 574 Yurt in a pack called "Universal Communication". Previously released in a few colorways, these sneakers will add to Bembury's expanding catalog within the brand. Following Salehe's release, the JJJJound New Balance 990v3 is sure to arrive in the coming months if not weeks with images surfacing on sneaker blogs recently. Keep your ear to the streets and your eyes peeled for what is to come from this brand that is growing in popularity and receiving a ton of hype. New Balance obscurely releases their sneakers with not much information or hard future dates to go by, but you can keep tabs on these products by following sneaker media accounts (like this one) and by following common New Balance collaborators like the ones mentioned in this article. Nevertheless, don’t be afraid to go against the grain and purchase a New Balance sneaker. I promise you won’t regret it.