Brand Backstory: How New Balance Went from "Dad Shoes" to Sneakerhead Gold

New Balance is one of the fastest-growing sneaker brands in the world.

New Balance:

• Nearly doubled revenue from $3.3 billion to $6.5 billion in just four years (2020-2023)

• Only major athletic brand still manufacturing shoes in the USA (5 factories in New England)

• Founded by William J. Riley in 1906, inspired by watching chickens achieve perfect balance with their three-toed feet

Here's their story:

In 1906, William Riley kept a chicken foot on his desk in Boston. Not as a paperweight, but as his sales tool.

This is the one that changed everything – the Trackster, first running shoe sold in multiple widths.

Riley would show customers how a chicken's three-toed foot achieved perfect balance, then explain how his arch supports worked the same way. This quirky demo helped him sell his "New Balance Arch Support Company" products to police officers and waiters who stood all day.

One of the earliest challenges they faced was being seen as a boring orthopedic company. For decades, New Balance stayed small and unknown, making therapeutic shoes for people with foot problems.

"I bought New Balance because I believed in the runners. They weren't just customers, they were collaborators." – Jim Davis

But Riley's successors didn't give up. In 1961, Eleanor and Paul Kidd created the "Trackster" - the first running shoe available in multiple widths. They literally made shoes in their home, targeting college athletes who needed better fits.

Their stores don’t just sell shoes – they tell the story.

At first, things were slow. By 1972, New Balance had just six employees making 30 pairs of shoes daily. The company was worth only $100,000 and going nowhere fast.

But then came a game-changer. On Boston Marathon day 1972, entrepreneur Jim Davis bought the struggling company. "I bought New Balance because I believed in the runners," Davis said. "They weren't just customers, they were collaborators."

When Jim Davis bought the brand in 1972, it had just six employees making 30 shoes a day.

Davis bet everything on the coming running boom. His timing was perfect.

In 1975, New Balance's 320 running shoe was named "Best Running Shoe" by Runner's World magazine. But here's what made them different - their ads didn't show superstar athletes. They showed regular "moms and dads" running on East Coast streets.

"As a privately-held company, we can take a lont-term view.” - Joe Preston

This everyday approach built a cult following. Word spread among serious runners that New Balance made shoes that actually fit properly.

Fast forward to the 2000s, and New Balance faced a new problem. Pop culture mocked them as uncool "dad shoes." In the 2011 movie Crazy, Stupid, Love, Ryan Gosling's character literally made fun of Steve Carell's New Balance sneakers.

Call them “dad shoes” if you want – comfort never goes out of style.

The brand could have panicked and chased trends. Instead, they stayed true to their values.

Today, New Balance operates 1,621 stores across the US and over 3,000 worldwide. Those same "dad shoes" are now coveted by sneakerheads, supermodels, and celebrities. What changed? The culture caught up to New Balance's authentic, retro aesthetic.

The same shoes once mocked are now reimagined, remixed, and resold to sneakerheads worldwide.

The brand's recent growth explosion can be attributed to their refusal to abandon American manufacturing. While competitors moved everything overseas, New Balance kept five factories running in Maine and Massachusetts.

In 2023, they signed NBA champion Kawhi Leonard and tennis star Coco Gauff. When Gauff won the US Open wearing New Balance gear, millions saw the brand on tennis's biggest stage.

Coco Gauff lifted the U.S. Open trophy in New Balance – and lifted the brand with her.

CEO Joe Preston puts it simply: "We're the only athletic footwear manufacturer with US production, and we've been doing it for 75 years. As a privately-held company, we can take a long-term view."

The success of New Balance highlights the importance of:

• Staying authentic when culture shifts around you - They kept making quality shoes while trends came and went

• Investing in manufacturing excellence over marketing hype - Their "Endorsed by No One" philosophy let products speak for themselves  

• Building retail experiences that tell your story - Their Boston flagship features a workshop where customers watch shoes being made

• Taking the long view as a private company - No quarterly pressure meant they could stick to their values

New Balance proves that sometimes the best strategy is refusing to change your core principles. They went from orthopedic inserts to global fashion icon by consistently delivering what they promised: shoes that fit better and perform better.

From a chicken foot on a Boston desk to a $6.5 billion empire, New Balance shows that authentic brands don't chase trends - they create them.

That's what we call keeping your balance.

Michele  

KRCrossing Consulting