Best New Balance Shoes of the Year (So Far)

It was a good first half of the year for Boston-based New Balance. The brand’s catalog is rich and contains interesting, consistent colors covering silhouettes and collaborations that complement each other coherently.

Joe Freshgoods, JJJJound, Issey Miyake and Kith are just some of the powerhouses that have made their mark on their New Balance model of choice.

What’s more, we’ve also seen the rebirth of the New Balance 1000, a model released in 1999 as a footwear solution that could withstand the rigors of trail and running.

New York fashion brand Aimé Leon Dore is at the forefront of this retro takeover, offering four stunning colorways that include the staples “black”, “white” and “gray”, as well as a few more eclectic ones. Needless to say, the set also includes some stunning, off-the-shelf colors.

As the world celebrates New Balance’s transition from “dad shoes” to shoes for the fashion-forward among us, we’d like to take a moment to appreciate some of what we think are the best drops they’ve had far into 2024.

Without further ado, here’s our look at the best New Balance shoes for the first half of the year:

Joe Freshgoods × New Balance 1000 "Black ice"

Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 990v4 "Royal"

AURALEE × Warped New Balance Runner "Dark navy blue"

Jaden Smith x New Balance MSFTSrep 0.01 "Orca"

JJJJound × New Balance 2002R GORE-TEX "Pine"

ISSEY MIYAKE × New Balance MT10O "Black"

New Balance 1906R Lunar New Year “Pink”

New Balance 550 “Sea Salt Patent”

New Balance 990v6 “Triple Black”

New Balance 2002R “Nowy Świerk”

And there you have it. The first half of 2024 was packed with hits, but the second half could prove to be the better half. We can expect releases such as the Basement x New Balance 1906R collection, the “Dark Green” and “Light Green” Stone Island x New Balance 574 Legacy, and the long-awaited debut of the New Balance 1906L Loafer. Expected colors include “Grey/Metallic Silver,” “Green,” “Raincloud,” and the Junya Watanabe MAN capsule. Until then, enjoy growing your collection!

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