![]() ![]() In A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Buggin’ out’, Phife Dawg raps “You wanna diss the Phifer but you still don’t know the half, I sport New Balance sneakers to avoid a narrow path”. In 1988, they released arguably their most famous sneaker, the 574, which was a hit both on and off the track. By the 80s, New Balance had a globally successful range of products like walking shoes and Gore-Tex running jackets. Sales of the 320 rocketed when the sneaker was voted as the number one running shoe on the market by Runner’s World magazine, solidifying New Balance as one of the leading sportswear brands. It was in 1976 that New Balance launched the 320, the first New Balance sneaker to feature the now-famous ‘N‘ logo. It was during the 1970s that the Boston area had become the epicenter of the running boom in the US. However, everything changed on the day of the 1972 Boston Marathon, when New Balance was timely purchased by Jim Davis, the brand’s current owner and chairman. Naturally, sales were slow, a team of six employees manufacturing, packing, and shipping the sneakers to mail-order customers until the early 1970s. Marketing was mostly word-of-mouth or at local sports fairs. Despite the Trackster success, New Balance had yet to hit the mainstream sneaker market and they remained a small operation. New Balance offered the revolutionary sneaker in a variety of widths to accommodate all athletes, and it wasn’t long before it was adopted as a track/cross-country shoe by schools and colleges around Massachusetts. This inspired the couple to design the first New Balance sneaker: the Trackster, the world’s first running shoe with a rippled sole for traction, was released in 1961. Hall eventually sold New Balance Arch Support Company to his daughter, Eleanor and her husband Paul Kidd in 1956 and by 1960, their arch supports had become very popular among budding athletes, some of whom had even begun approaching the brand for tailored sneakers. By this point, New Balance had yet to produce any sneakers, with business still focused on selling arch supports to workers whose jobs required them to stand up for long periods of time. In 1927, Riley hired a salesman named Arthur Hall, who eventually became a partner in the New Balance Arch Support Company in 1934. Fascinated by how the chickens balanced so perfectly on their three-pronged feet, Riley designed a flexible arch support with three support points. It is believed that the inspiration for the name “New Balance”, as well as his first product came to Riley while watching chickens strut around his backyard. ![]() Riley, an Irish immigrant who had settled in Boston, Massachusetts. New Balance was originally founded as New Balance Arch Support Company in 1906 by William J. ![]()
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