New Balance is less a brand than an institution: quality, comfort, and a marked reluctance to shout about either. Its story starts long before trainers became a mass-market product, and rests on a philosophy that sets it apart from almost every competitor it has.
1906: a need, then an idea
It begins in Boston, Massachusetts, with William J. Riley, an Irish immigrant who had no interest in running shoes at all. He made arch supports for people who spent the working day on their feet.
The first flexible arches were inspired by the chickens in his yard, which stand balanced on three points of contact. Hence the name: the New Balance Arch Support Company.
The first running shoe did not arrive until 1938, and then only because a local club asked for one.
1972: a new owner and the N
The turning point came when Jim Davis bought the company on the day of the Boston Marathon. New Balance was then six people making around thirty pairs a day. Davis could see what the running boom was about to do, and pointed everything at serious shoes for serious runners.
That is also when the decision that still defines the brand was taken: shoes in more than one width. The plain observation that feet are not all the same shape turned out to be a competitive advantage that has lasted decades.
In 1976 came the 320, the first with the N on the side. It was rated the best running shoe on the market and made the brand a global name.
Why it works: four things
- The product instead of the campaign. While competitors built everything around celebrities, New Balance spent decades betting on the shoe and trusting runners to choose it on merit.
- Made in the USA and the UK. Some models still are — New Balance has made shoes in Cumbria since 1982, at the Flimby factory since 1991. It costs more, but the control is tighter and buyers can tell.
- Fit before anything else. The widths are not a marketing line; they come out of taking the mechanics of the foot seriously.
- Range without drift. From serious running shoes to everyday pairs, without the brand losing its own look along the way.
The technology
- ENCAP (1980s) — a soft EVA core inside a firmer polyurethane rim: cushioning and stability at the same time.
- REVLite — around 30% lighter than standard EVA with no loss of durability.
- Fresh Foam — a midsole designed from data, with laser-cut hollows placed according to where the pressure actually falls.
- FuelCell — the high-return foam, kept for the fast shoes.
- FantomFit and Hypoknit — light uppers with few seams, which breathe better and hold the foot more evenly.
The 990: the $100 trainer
The 990 series is the whole philosophy in one shoe. The first came out in 1982 at $100, which was unheard of. That was rather the point: the best materials, made in America, with no corner cut to hit a price.
The 99X series is now firmly in dad-shoe territory, and Steve Jobs wore the 991 and 992 for years. The refusal to be fashionable is precisely what made them fashionable.
The company still does not pay anyone to be seen in its shoes. Jobs simply liked them.