The funniest part of New Balance’s success is that it started as offense. “Dad’s sneakers”, “uncle’s brand”, “shoes for those who go to the market at 7 in the morning”. The internet was making fun as the brand reached an impressive US$9.2 billion in global sales in 2025, with projections to reach US$10 billion in 2026. New Balance not only grew 19% in 2025, but also grabbed market share from giants like Nike. Far from being a one-off growth, because the brand has grown at double digits in the last 5 years.
The dull became desire
The sneaker market is a battlefield where innovation and hype dictate the rules. Or, at least, they dictated. For years, New Balance’s “dad shoe” was synonymous with comfort without style, but the brand, with a wit that few understood, embraced this identity. And, post-pandemic, when the search for comfort and a certain nostalgic throwback exploded, the “dad shoe” became an icon.
While competitors were lost in futuristic models and incessant releases, New Balance looked to its own history and found gold. The 990 model, launched in 1982, which was previously seen as obsolete, has re-emerged as a symbol of an uncomplicated and authentic lifestyle. But the true icon of desire, the piece that solidified New Balance as an undisputed cultural player, was the 550. Relaunched in 2020, the 550 generated massive demand, with a virtual queue of 70,000 people in restocks, transforming it into an object of global desire.
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Reinventing memories
The brand knew how to inject cultural relevance through surgical collaborations. The appointment of Teddy Santis, founder of Aimé Leon Dore, as creative director of the Made in USA line in 2021 was a watershed moment. Santis brought a sophisticated aesthetic and a keen eye to sneakerhead culture, elevating the brand’s perception without distorting it.
Other partnerships, like those with Joe Freshgoods, not only generated hype, but also told stories and connected with specific communities, turning each launch into a cultural event. The design with Miu Miu on top of the 530, originally a performance sneaker from the 90s, places materials and fashion language on top of a technical and minimalist silhouette. And when this ends in a sporting context, with Coco Gauff using the result on the court and the collab gaining a calendar and narrative, you understand that it’s not just fashion. It is an expansion of territory with cultural backing.
“Fearlessly Independent Since 1906”
There’s a quote from CEO Joe Preston that is practically a manifesto against corporate short-termism. He says New Balance could be bigger “if they wanted to,” but chooses selective distribution to avoid saturating the brand. And he attributes the success of this discipline to an unwavering focus on the consumer, regardless of how, where and when they want to buy. This is in a market where most companies confuse presence with relevance and confuse volume with value.
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This stance has allowed New Balance to be selective in distribution and discounts, increasing its average sales price by around 30% over the last five years. It is proof that, in a saturated market, quality and the perception of value overcome the unbridled search for volume.
“Dad shoe” changed the game
She treated the joke as an insight, the stigma as a differentiator, calm as a strategy. And when you look at branding with numbers, the story becomes even clearer. According to data from Timelens, design 17.81% and quality 17.40% are the most important factors in the sneaker category globally, and these same territories are also those that connect most with New Balance. For the brand, quality leads with 36.2% of mentions, followed by design with 14.3%, reinforcing that its perception is directly aligned with the main drivers of consumer choice.
In terms of interest over the last four years, New Balance showed the highest growth among the markets analyzed, with emphasis on the United States 189.74%, the United Kingdom 178.02% and Australia 183.07%. In Brazil, progress was also significant, and in the last 12 months the brand recorded the highest growth in the category, with a 39.24% increase in searches.
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Furthermore, New Balance is today the most “favorite” brand in the category, with 86.5% of positive feelings in spontaneous conversations on social networks, the highest rate among the main players analyzed. And that’s why she won. Not for having hit a trend, but for having built a reputation that crosses trends.
