The most iconic New Balance ad is not for New Balance at all. The Jordan “Jumpman” logo was inspired by an image taken by photographer Jacobus Rentmeester in 1984, featuring an Olympics-bound Michael Jordan wearing nothing but a pair of New Balance BB480s.
More than just a fun fact, it’s kind of an encapsulation of the brand itself: quietly, modestly, amazing.
Founded in 1906 as an orthotic insole company, New Balance did not sell its first retail shoes until 1960. In 1972, New Balance employed only five full-time workers who produced only 30 pairs of their popular Trackster daytime running shoes.
Throughout its history, New Balance has relied on word of mouth from its customer base rather than endorsements from athletes or celebrities. And that’s why when they released the 320 model in 1976 that featured their distinctive “N” emblem, the iconic print ads featured an old “ma and pa” wearing their sneakers.
What do the New Balance numbers mean?
The brand was so stubborn in avoiding typical marketing tactics to try to skew customer perception, they completely avoided fancy naming conventions for their styles and opted for a functional coding system to objectively differentiate their models. Their 6-7 digit code may seem complex or absurd, but it is actually quite simple.
The first letter or two signifies gender and/or workout type i.e. M=Men, W=Women, T=Trail, or if made in USA or UK United. The next two numbers indicate the level of innovation and performance you can expect, as well as the price you can expect to slam on it. Then the next set of numbers defines the performance range, starting with a focus on control at “40” and then stability, cushioning and comfort in the “50” to “70” range. The “80” and “90” with “00” lines focus on providing competitive riders with lightweight options built for speed.
The catch is that these numberings are more of a general trend than a hard and fast rule. New Balance doesn’t really want people to buy that way.
With that in mind, here’s a guide to some of the brand’s most important sneakers.
New Balance’s best-selling men’s sneakers
New Balance 550
The 550 “Basketball Oxford” was designed by footwear legend Steven Smith and launched in 1989 at the height of the biggest basketball shoe trend to date: the desire to play in low-top, lightweight sneakers. with increased stability. Unfortunately, the 550 was a flop due to the lack of cutting-edge technology and innovation in an era when Reebok Pump and Nike Air were having their day in the sun. 30 years later, one man’s trash can is Teddy Santis’ treasure as he raised the once-ostracized sneaker from its grave with his Aimé Leon Dore collaboration in 2020, thanks to the shoe’s complementary aesthetic at the brand’s downtown New York vibe.
New Balance 574
As the brand’s most recognizable style, the 574 is a classic that has stood the test of time, all without faltering. Originally launched in 1988 as a running shoe, the brand has made sure to always keep this icon in its range, although it has made slight updates to ensure it follows the Joneses, so to speak. .
New Balance 327
Surprisingly, the most retro-inspired of all these silhouettes is also the most recent. Launched in 2020 through a collaborative effort with French fashion brand Casablanca, the 327 is inspired by the first New Balance running shoes released in the 70s; specifically the 355, Supercomp and the one that really started to put New Balance in the discussion among the sneaker titans, the 320.
New Balance 990v3
Dubbed “the first $100 performance running shoe” in 1982, you’d be hard pressed to find another line of sneakers as exalted as the New Balance 990. It took four years of research and development to craft the 990 original with disruption and performance come to the fore, introducing the much-loved “Motion Control Device” heel cap. However, the silhouette paired with the understated neutral gray colourway – unheard of at the time when other running shoes sprung up in neon colors – was quickly adopted as the lifestyle sneaker of choice.
It would have taken them 16 years to evolve the revered sneaker into the aptly named 990v2, which introduced a significant design upgrade that would guide each of the subsequent 990 series, up to v5. Today, New Balance continues to pay homage to the trailblazing sneaker by showcasing it for its Made in USA sub-line, determined to ensure it stays atop the brand’s proverbial leaderboard. The 990v3 is one of the most popular versions.
New Balance 990v5
In 2019, New Balance pulled the “old, but new” card with v5 of the 990 series; a version that would borrow from its predecessors while forging its own path. Take some cues that really put the 990 on the map, like the neutral gray uppers, ENCAP midsole cushioning and its USA manufacturing. Other than that, its closest ancestor is v4, which could pass for a second cousin. A big improvement over previous iterations is evident, as the overall fit is widely considered New Balance’s best to date, with a roomier toe box and added heel padding. We can expect the 990v6 to continue the legacy of the series, although it certainly doesn’t need much improvement.
New Balance 992
Unofficially dubbed “the Steve Jobs sneaker”, thanks to the late Apple CEO’s obsession with the sneaker, the 992 was a pretty bold departure from the previous model, the 991. Originally launched in 2006, the 992 helped the brand become great for her 100 -year anniversary. This new American-made Cool Dad™ shoe, the brand’s most expensive shoe to produce, sporting premium materials and a stacked outsole, was bulkier, sportier and introduced new technology in the insole ABZORB Stability. Moreover, they have introduced the shoe in 78 varieties of sizes and widths so that more people can enjoy them. While it didn’t enjoy immediate widespread success like the other 99X series versions/retros, it garnered praise from diehard fundamentalists of the brand due to these great advancements, which might explain why it saw its retro premiere in 2020.
New Balance 2002r
As with most new silhouettes over the past two or three decades, New Balance knew they had to go beyond the normal, conventional upgrades that other brands were making to their performance and lifestyle kicks. . New Balance’s 2010 version of the technically advanced 2002 running shoe was no exception, as it introduced the full-length N-ERGY, which essentially has its own suspension system to maximize support with shock absorption.
And like new silhouettes over the past two or three decades, these didn’t quite pan out at first, likely due to the eye-popping $250 retail price. Fortunately, New Balance has fixed the formula to reintroduce the shoe in 2020, this time with an updated sole borrowed from the 860v2, a new “R” suffix, and a much more palatable $130 price tag. Along with the 550, the 2002r is definitely having a moment as it continues to see collaborations using its silhouette as a base. Most notable is Salehe Bembury’s visionary take on the style, as well as the highly sought after “Protection Pack”, which featured deconstructed suede uppers for a fresh twist on a once discontinued style.
New Balance 993
There’s a reason New Balance hasn’t made a new, non-retro 99X series silhouette since 2008, and that reason is the 993. You’ll probably never see anyone from New Balance’s C-suite saying that the one of its styles is “perfection” but you can read between the lines with the 993, as it took the more supportive elements of its predecessors – the 991 and 992, respectively – while adding an all-new form of cushioning enhanced in the ABZORB “Dynamic Training System”, which combined the brand’s ABZORB foam and SBS elastomer to absorb heel strike while providing optimal cushioning that conforms to the architecture of your foot.
Despite its bulkier frame, it’s one of the brand’s lightest lifestyle silhouettes, offering the wearer just about everything New Balance has to offer. It also makes perfect sense that this is one of the brand’s most famous and best-selling styles, even at $200 a piece.
New Balance 530
A sneaker history as old as time, especially for New Balance: the 530 was released in 1992 as a high-performance running sneaker, taking inspiration from its competitors while bringing its own uncompromising twist, highlighted by its new ABZORB cushioning in the heel. He didn’t move the needle enough at the time, although he certainly didn’t fail.
However, in 2013, at the height of the cool-kids-in-chunky-ironic-shoes era, the sneaker was quickly embraced by the fashion zeitgeist; it ticked all the boxes, and a makeover helped catapult the 530 into the limelight.
New Balance 997
New Balance designer and triple OG Steven Smith was often ahead of his time (which is why Kanye West tapped him to lead the design of his Yeezy brand). Before leaving New Balance to work for Adidas in 1988, Smith made sure to leave it all on the floor, per se, providing his coda to the shoe brand that gave him his 997 debut. ahead of its time, using a never-before-seen molding technique that transformed ENCAP and C-CAP cushioning into a single midsole. The release of the silhouette in 1991 was a fanfare, to say the least.
