A New Balance History:
In 1906 British emigrant William J Riley, a thirty-three year-old waiter, founded the New Balance Arch Support Company in Boston. His goal was to design revolutionary arch supports and orthopedic shoe accessories to increase the comfort of the working man who had to spend longs hours on his feet. The former waiter designed custom shoes for athletes but it wasn’t until 1960 when New Balance, now under the auspices of Paul and Eleanor Kidd developed and sold their first shoe for mass production, the “Trackster.” The Trackster was the world’s first shoe to come not only in different sizes, but different widths as well. It was the original high performance running shoe and manufactured with a special ripple sole to optimize traction. In 1972, the Kidds sold New Balance to Jim S. Davis. At that time the company had six employees. They made thirty pairs of shoes a day.Over the next three decades, New Balance expanded its market designing, developing and producing sneakers for a variety of purposes including running, street, hiking, and basketball.
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New Balance Sneak-Facts:
• New Balance is unique in that unlike competitors such as Nike and adidas, it shies away from expensive advertising campaigns and continues to manufacture a portion of its product in the United States.
• New Balance is the number four maker of sports footwear in the world.
• New Balance shoes are not named, they are numbered, a tradition begun by Arthur Heckler who wanted to place an emphasis on the overall philosophy of the company, not on one particular shoe.
• New Balance shoes are offered in up to six different widths – from a narrow 2A to a wide 6E in sizes 5 to 20 for adults, 6 to 8.5 for small children and 2 to 8 for infants.
• New Balance produces some of the most durable sneakers on the market. Most doctors and coaches recommend replacing your sneakers every 3-6 months, but New Balances can be worn for a year.
• New Balance owns Dunham, PF Flyers, Aravon, Warrior and Brine.
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Notable Models:
The Trackster
The first mass-produced New Balance.
320
One of the originals. In 1975 Tom Fleming won the New York City Marathon in a pair of 320s. In 1978 the 320 was named the number one running shoe by Runner’s World magazine, and New Balance became a serious contender and competitor in the athletic shoe industry.
428 a.k.a. M.L. Carrs
In 1982 the New Balance 428 was the first basketball shoe put out by the company, then completely unknown in the basketball scene. The 428 first drew recognition when Boston Celtic M.L. Carr started to wear them on the court. Still, it wouldn’t be until the James Worthys that New Balance would really get a piece of the basketball kick market.
574
Classic New Balance, the 574 is the lightweight alternative to the 576. The sneaker was first popular with students in the UK and across Europe.
576
The 576 was originally produced in the 1980s and marketed toward the east coast fashion market. Sales were high in New York, but disappointing outside the metropolis and the 576 was removed from the New Balance line. In 1997, the 576 made a triumphant return to the New Balance family, this time made from high quality pigskin and produced in vibrant colours. The market response was positive and the 576 continues to be made at the New Balance factory in Filmby, UK.
577
Another classic New Balance sneaker, the 577 was one of the three models along with the 1500 and 670 to have special editions issued for the New Balance 100 year anniversary in 2006. Each centennial edition was named after one of New Balances oldest employees. The 577 was dedicated to Audrey Stewart, who had been working for 25 years in the department of sewings.
990
Geared towards long distance running, the 990 is one of the best designed sneakers for running on hard surfaces.
James Worthy / Prides (640 / 740 / 780 / 785 / 790 / 991 / 999)
After the success of Nike’s Air Jordans in 1985, New Balance tried to get a piece of the blossoming basketball shoe market by signing LA Laker, James Worthy, in 1986 for a million dollars. The result was a slew of basketball sneaks, all bearing the Worthy name. One of the originals was the 740, a white high-top accented in black. The 640 had a ¾ cut and caught the eye of the hip hop heads. The 1984-1985 Worthy 785, a leather high top inscribed with his name on the tongue, is considered the “official” New Balance “James Worthy” by many serious sneaker connoisseurs. The 790 followed, coming in brighter / flashier colors and with a higher cut. The 991 and 999 were considered to be the best designed basketball sneakers New Balance ever put out—a worthy opponent of the Nike Air Force 1s (no pun intended). Still, New Balance had a hard time competing in the basketball sneaker market. With bigger companies like Nike spending fortunes on advertising and sponsorships, New Balance was unable to hold on to the market, eventually shutting down basketball sneaker production. Worthy himself moved on to adidas and then Nike. New Balance then adopted the slogan “Endorsed by No One.” Even subsequent re-releases of the Worthy models in recent years no longer bear the name of the basketball legend.
