New Balance 57/40

As you probably know, the well-known brands Nike and Adidas have been the best in the sneaker market for many years. However, the New Balance brand is proving to be a more than plausible competitor for these sneaker monsters. Their trainers are renowned and appreciated for the comfort and quality they offer, and it is worth noting that New Balance is one of the world's largest and most innovative sportswear companies, particularly with the New Balance 57/40.
The company has been in business for over a hundred years, and New Balance is a household name that continues to build on its reputation. Let's find out a little about its history!

The company was founded in 1906 as the New Balance "Arch Support Company" by a young Irish immigrant, William J. Riley. The story goes that the young man, an architect by trade, was inspired to design his very first model by the fact that some chickens wandering around his garden were perfectly balanced thanks to their three-clawed legs. Literally overwhelmed by this observation, he set about developing a flexible arch support with three support points.

However, in 1934, the New Balance brand was not a trainer manufacturer at all. The brand was focused on marketing arch supports for workers whose jobs required them to stand for long hours. In 1956, the New Balance Arch Support Company was sold to the daughter of a sales associate and her husband (Eleanor and Paul Kidd).

It all started in the 1960s when New Balance arch supports became popular with novice athletes, some of whom even asked the company to make customised trainers.

Eleanor and Paul Kidd decided to offer their first New Balance sneaker, the Trackster. In 1961, the Trackster became the first running shoe in the world to be equipped with a wavy sole for traction.

New Balance soon determined that it was time to introduce this unusual sneaker in a wide variety of widths to fit the feet of every athlete. The Trackster was soon included in the list of track and cross-country shoes by schools and universities in Massachusetts.

Launched in the early months of 2021, the New Balance 57/40 is a more modern reinterpretation of the New Balance 574, heavily inspired by the iconic 80s and 90s with embellished design and details.

The New Balance 57/40 takes much of the New Balance DNA, but with much larger dimensions, and more intensity to the overall shape and inserts to ultimately create an innovative model. This NB 57/40 sneaker with its vintage/urban design, which combines an unusual look with optimised comfort, is ideal for a somewhat casual everyday style! The year 2021 will start with a brand new design for New Balance, which is the counterpart of the New Balance 57/40 sneaker, a successful revisitation of the 574.

A point on the various materials that are also transformed, indeed, it is leather and suede that are subtly married. But more specifically, it is the sole of the New Balance 57/40 that undergoes the most changes with a sole enhanced and structured in the form of multicoloured waves. In addition to these colours, the lifestyle trainer is now available in a number of different shades and colour combinations.

New Balance and the American brand STAUD are developing their fourth collection in a multi-year partnership. The famous New Balance 574 and 57/40 are completely reinvented through the imagination of STAUD, incorporating primary, rather intense colours but also contemporary and surprising details.

Developed as a tribute to two specific generations of timeless versions, this collection offers a more conventional iteration of the 574, composed of classic materials and primary hues; and, a more modern version of the iconic New Balance 57/40, constructed in premium leather.

For the fashion world, the colour block is represented to embellish the mythical outfits that afficionados are particularly fond of, specifically, the close-fitting yoga set, the unavoidable hoodie, and the famous tracksuit to be slipped on without transition after a race. And what about the STAUD touch? The STAUD touch can be seen in the brightly coloured zips, the visible stitching and various shimmering graphics as well as the transparent details never before seen in this design.

The influence comes from the legendary moments of the various sporting events and video broadcasts of the 1980s, but also from the DNA and the characteristic atmosphere of the NB brand, after having been imbued with the historical annals of the New Balance brand.

At the crossroads of traditional timeless designs and sophisticated innovation, the New Balance 57/40 comes from a strong heritage of aesthetics and comfort, as well as practicality and modernity.

The New Balance brand builds all their products with an eye to the future, but with an awareness of the history that has brought them to where they are today.