New Balance 990

NEW BALANCE 990: THE DAD-SHOE PAR EXCELLENCE

NEW BALANCE 990 THE STORY OF THIS PAIR OF SNEAKERS

It all starts in 1982 , period when New Balance asserts itself as the number 1 brand in the world of sneakers running and acquires its identity that we know today in particular thanks to the appearance on these shoes of the emblematic lateral " N " logo designed by Terry Heckler . It is in this context that the Boston equipment manufacturer unveils the New Balance 990, the brand's first shoe to be marketed at a price of 100$ (which represents $273 in 2022). It stands out for the exceptional quality of its materials and its neutral gray color code which denotes competing sneakers which offered models with fluorescent and neon touches. Then followed the creation of the 99X range with the appearance of legendary models like the New Balance 991 and the New Balance 992 from 2006 which was popularized by Steve Jobs, founder of Apple who loved the model and who wore it during his emblematic Keynotes.

NEW BALANCE 990: A RETRO SNEAKER THAT’S BACK IN FORCE

Over the years the range has improved in support and cushioning technologies such as foam. ABZORB and the sole ENCAP appeared from the New Balance 990v2 in 1998. In 2016, the equipment manufacturer unveiled its New Balance 990v4 which arrived at the height of the dad-shoe trend. This movement established by Kanye West and his Yeezy Boost 700 Wave Runner revisits the shoes designed for sport generally worn by fathers on weekends like the Nike Air Monarch and 99Xs. New Balance then plays with the trend and opts for an advertising campaign which encourages the versatility and accessibility of its model by presenting it as: "Worn by models in London and fathers in Ohio". A real hype is created around the retro running models of the 90s/2000s and will even go so far as to seduce luxury houses like Balenciaga and its emblematic Triple S. Today the movement is still relevant, like the very popular New Balance 2002R which has been revisited during multiple collaborations with Salehe Bembury or Yue Wu and his magnificent Protection Pack .

NEW VERSIONS: NEW BALANCE 990 V3, V4 AND V5

Always in perpetual technological innovation, the 99X range is being renewed today through the prism of special editions in collaboration with several emblematic entities of sneaker culture. Joe Freshgoods , designer and creative director of the Don't Be Mad label, offers us in 2021 his reinterpretation of the New Balance 990 V3 with the special edition Outside Clothes . The iconic brand Levi's and the concept store Bodega from Boston were able to offer their respective interpretations of the 990 V3, which helped increase the popularity of the model. Released in 2016, the New Balance 990 V4 was able to benefit from strong exposure thanks to the multiple versions imagined by the label KITH of Ronnie Fieg . In 2021, it's the Canadian creative studio JJJJound founded by Justin Saunders who is relaunching the model with the Navy edition and which precedes an upcoming 990 V3 which should arrive in 2022. Finally the New Balance 990 V5 presented in 2019 was popularized by its collaboration with Aime Léon Dore , high-end streetwear brand founded by Teddy Santis who is now creative director of New Balance and which is at the origin of the great return of the New Balance 550 originally released in 1989. The latter also revealed the next stage of the 99X range, the New Balance 990 V6 under the emblematic gray color-blocking of the Boston equipment manufacturer which should be released regularly 2022 . The collection still has a bright future ahead of it!