New Balance’s cultural credibility is closely tied to a handful of heritage silhouettes like the 990, 574, 1500, and select others.
That all changed in 2020, when New Balance’s cultural cache in the streetwear space grew in leaps and bounds. This was thanks to the brand’s refreshed portfolio of collaborators and partners, who helped breathe new life into previously overlooked silhouettes.
Parisian streetwear brand Casablanca re-worked the 327. Aimé Leon Dore came correct with a pack of 550s. But the 992 was perhaps the biggest story of 2020 for New Balance, as the silhouette was the subject of collaborations alongside emerging design Joe Freshgoods, Japanese streetwear mainstay WTAPS, the master of elevated staples JJJJound, and many others.
These were the biggest (and best selling) New Balance sneakers of 2020.
Best Selling:
New Balance 992 Grey
No sneaker rotation is complete without a pair of grey New Balances. New Balance loves making grey sneakers so much, the brand even has its own holiday called “Grey Day.” Grey is often associated with the 990 series, and a grey pair of 990s is pretty much to New Balance what a white-on-white pair of Air Force 1s is to Nike.
Like we mentioned above, the 992 was treated to a bunch of collaborations of the course of 2020. However, grey, general-release 992s were the most commonly sold New Balances on StockX in 2020, which is a testament to the cultural inroads that New Balance has created with grey kicks. The classically styled kicks are made-in-USA, and sell at an average price of around £180. If you ask us, it’s a worthwhile investment for a pair that will remain in your closet for years to come.
Most Expensive:
New Balance 1300JP Special Box Edition (2020)
The 1300 is Japan’s favourite pair of New Balance sneakers, by a long shot. The 1300 has a special place in the hearts and minds of Japanese sneakerheads.
Released in 1984, the original 1300 was manufactured in Skowhegan, Maine, not far from the company’s US headquarters in Boston. It came with a classic colour scheme of grey and blue, with a plastic heel stabilizer, Vibram sole, and New Balance’s proprietary ENCAP cushioning tech. This same shoe is re-released only every five years and has become a major collectible, especially in Japan. In short, it’s a shoe for New Balance connoisseurs.
In 1996, New Balance released a more accessible model, the New Balance 1300CL.
Then in 2020, this made-in-Japan 1300 was introduced in July, complete with special-edition packaging and wooden shoe trees. These rare 1300s went on to become the most expensive New Balance sneakers on StockX in 2020.
Highest Price Premium:
New Balance 992 WTAPS
Japanese brand WTAPS was one of the first names to stylishly integrate military design cues into a streetwear brand. After all, the name WTAPS does come from a lethal shooting technique where two shots are fired in quick succession at the chest, and a final at the head.
Decked out in fatigue-inspired tones like washed-out green and tan hues, this “Olive Drab” 992 also features a subtle hit of orange on the midsole, which could be a nod to the classic colour blocking of the Alpha Industries MA-1 jacket.
WTAPS isn’t necessarily a heavy hitter when it comes to sneaker collaborations, although the brand’s ongoing Vans partnership has been ongoing for many seasons. It turns out, this New Balance partnership was very well-received, with price premiums averaging out to 200% above retail over the past year.
Editor’s Picks:
New Balance 327
While New Balance’s product catalogue is full of heritage models that evoke nostalgia, the 327 was a totally new silhouette that truly moved the needle in 2020.
The 327 was designed by Charlotte Lee, a Manchester-based designer who works on New Balance’s in-house team. The silhouette was primarily inspired by two archival models from the 1970s, the 320 and the Super Comp. The 320 is of particular importance, being the first model to wear New Balance’s now-ubiquitous “N” logo. The 327’s defining features include an oversized “N,” and exaggerated outsole tread which crawls up onto the heel of the shoe.
This grey edition of the 327 was the second most-sold New Balance model in 2020, garnering over 2,500 trades.
New Balance 992 Kith Spring 2
New York City hometown hero Kith is no stranger to collaborating with New Balance, in fact, Kith’s founder Ronnie Fieg has worked with New Balance on a bevvy of models. Highlights include the “Daytona” 1600s, “Colorist” 1700s, and “Salmon Sole” 1300s.
2020 marked the first occasion that Kith and Fieg have worked on a 992, which came in a pack of five silhouettes, including the 1300, 997, 998, and 990v2. Dubbed the “Blue Steel” pack, this set of New Balances is marked by mixed shades of blues throughout. This colour scheme is a nod to Ronnie Fieg’s favourite New Balance palette, the iconic CL (or “Steel Blue”) colourway, which appears on the RC1300 and an inverted rendition applied to the 1300. Writing about the 1300CL in 2010, Fieg noted, “In my opinion, this is the greatest New Balance shoe ever made. If you know about these you should know how hard they are to find and how often they get released.”
Kith’s take on the 992 has checked out for an average price premium of 300%+ over the past 12 months. 
New Balance 327 Casablanca
Parisian streetwear brand Casablanca teamed up with New Balance to re-work the 327, a new design based on ‘70s models like the Super Comp and 320.
Casablanca – a 2021 Woolmark Prize Finalists – unveiled the first two of several exclusive 327 colourways in April. The pack of two sneakers was punctuated by hits of orange and green, together with a perforated smooth-leather upper, and an oversized New Balance “N” on the shoe’s lateral side. Casablanca was founded only several years back, so considering the brand is still emerging and being discovered by some, this collaboration made a pretty huge splash.
New Balance 550 Aimé Leon Dore
Aimé Leon Dore dug into the New Balance basketball archives to retro the 550 low top.
Each shoe in the pack of four pared-back colourways came with a predominantly white upper, and contrasting hits in red, green, navy blue and grey respectively. Yellowed midsoles lend the shoes a vintage aesthetic, perhaps a nod to the 550’s original release date in 1989. Aimé Leon Dore’s collaboration also helped bolster general-release colourways of the 550 that followed.
After working on more popular silhouettes like the 997, 990v2 and 990v5, Aimé Leon Dore and founder Teddy Santis have established that their ongoing New Balance collaboration is certainly one to watch in 2021.
Aimé Leon Dore’s green, grey and navy blue 550s garnered fourth, fifth and eighth highest price premium for New Balance sneakers in 2020, respectively.
New Balance 997S Bodega Better Days
OG retailer Bodega has been a fixture in Boston for almost a decade-and-a-half. The shop initially garnered renown thanks to its secret location, hidden behind the facade of what looks to be a real bodega, stocked with laundry detergent and soda.
Bodega’s 997S collaborations kicked off in 2019 with an inaugural “No Days Off” colourway that launched in April, which was followed by the “No Bad Days” edition two months later, and finally 2020’s “Better Days” version, which continued the theme. The shoe is defined by a bricolage of colours and textures, featuring subtle hits of orange, yellow and red throughout, while modern elements like ripstop on the heel and Encap Reveal cushioning are balanced with conventional sneaker materials such as suede and mesh.
Bodega’s 997S “Better Days” was the third most commonly sold New Balance sneaker on StockX in 2020.
New Balance 992 Joe Freshgoods No Emotions Are Emotions
In February last year, Joe Freshgoods served up this fresh “No Emotions Are Emotions” 992.
Released on Valentine’s Day, but also intended to coincide with the NBA All-Star Weekend, this collaboration with New Balance marked Chicago designer Joe Freshgoods’ first major footwear collaboration. The 992 is imagined in a palette of reds, pinks and burgundies, right down to the laces. This sneaker’s flushed complexion was inspired by the anatomy of the human heart, according to Joe Freshgoods himself.
The 992 was accompanied by a matching version of Kawhi Leonard’s signature New Balance sneaker, the OMN1S.
New Balance 992 JJJJound
This sophisticated pack of two made-in-USA 992s arrived in July, courtesy of Montreal-based design studio JJJJound. This release came on the heels of JJJJound’s previous New Balance collaboration, which brought us a duo of 990v3s in 2018.
The minimalist sneaker retains a classic combination of mesh and suede construction, arriving in a two-tone green makeup, and a matching second version in grey. Former YEEZY collaborator JJJJound has successfully carved out his own niche of elevated basics including homewares, essential apparel, and sneaker collaborations, all sold exclusively through his webshop. Much like his other product releases, this exclusive drop sold out in a flash.
New Balance 2002R Salehe Bembury
Even before he was tapped for his 2020 New Balance collaboration (not to mention his ANTA collaboration…), Salehe Bembury’s résumé was nothing to sniff at.
Bembury came from Cole Haan and YEEZY, before joining Versace in 2018 and helping to create the Chain Reaction sneaker, which debuted in partnership with 2Chainz.
Considering his lifelong interest in sneakers, and his experience at major sportswear brands and fashion houses, Bembury’s New Balance collaboration was always going to be a shoo-in. Re-imagining the 2002R, Bembury’s starting point for the design was his new home on the West Coast. After moving from New York City to Los Angeles, Bembury started to take advantage of the plethora of National Parks in California and nearby states, including Antelope Canyon in Arizona, which ended up being the main source of inspiration for the collaboration.
The shoe’s burnt orange colourway channels these impressive outdoor spaces, while fuzzy suede and big-hole mesh add further textural appeal to the collaboration.
Over 1,000 pairs of the New Balance 2002R Salehe Bembury were sold on StockX last year.
